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Miami Herald
23 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Shared mobility: Making travel easier for all
Walk around most large metropolitan cities in Europe and the United States, and you'd be forgiven for thinking that we're living in a brave new world of affordable and effortless mobility for all, with the smartphone in your pocket a portal to a cornucopia of shared e-scooters, bikes and electric cars, and an Uber or Lyft never more than five minutes away. But if you're disabled or elderly, living in a low-income area or-imagine-without a smartphone or credit card, using these shared mobility services becomes a lot more difficult. They tend to cluster in more affluent urban areas, and are often inaccessible to people with reduced mobility or those traveling with young children needing child seats. In part because of these factors, users are disproportionately younger, wealthier, able-bodied, white and male. Shared mobility could be a key part of a more sustainable transportation system. But to be most effective, it needs to include everyone. For-profit shared mobility providers have largely failed to deliver on this, but various initiatives and projects are finding creative solutions to reach underserved communities, Knowable Magazine says. The potential benefits are large. On-demand shared mobility that feeds into well-developed public transportation systems could reduce the number of vehicles in some cities by 90 percent and cut transportation emissions by 50 percent-but only if it largely replaces private car use. "The car has to be a guest, not the main actor," says Luis Martinez, lead modeler at the International Transport Forum, who coauthored a paper on shared mobility and sustainability in the 2024 Annual Review of Environment and Resources. Achieving that goal will be challenging, especially in the Global North, where people choose private cars for 61 percent of the kilometers they travel. To move more people away from private vehicles to shared ones, expanding access to a wider share of the population is an important first step, researchers say, because a lot of people are left out today. A 2019 study of 10 US cities, for example, showed that white Americans have access to almost three times as many carshare locations and two times as many bikeshare locations within a half-mile radius as African Americans. When hailing rides from their home, African Americans also wait up to 22 percent longer for the ride to arrive. But even when efforts are made to expand services to underserved areas of a city, other hurdles persist. A fifth of low-income Americans still don't have a smartphone and almost a quarter don't have a bank account-both prerequisites for using most such services. A 2017 survey in Philadelphia, Chicago and New York City's borough of Brooklyn, showed that low-income people of color are just as interested in bikesharing as other groups, but less likely to use such a system: While 10 percent of higher-income white residents and five percent of higher-income residents of color were members of a bikeshare system, only two percent of lower-income residents were. Forty-eight percent of lower-income residents of color cited cost as a big barrier. In addition, lack of familiarity with the bikeshare system was holding a third of people back. How to bridge the accessibility gap? A fundamental problem, Martinez says, is that "private businesses will always go where the money is." Unsurprisingly, then, public agencies are the ones stepping in. A handful of cities in the United States, for example, have launched subsidy programs for low-income residents, which have shown promise in increasing the use of shared mobility while decreasing the use of personal vehicles. In 2024, a survey of almost 250 bike- and e-scooter-share programs in the U.S. found that 70 percent had taken steps to reach underserved groups, with measures like cash payment and non-smartphone options being among the most popular. Nongovernmental organizations are also filling the gap. One example is a program by nonprofit Shared Mobility Inc. in Buffalo, New York. In the summer of 2020, it suddenly found itself in possession of 3,000 electric bikes, part of the fleet Uber scrapped when selling the bikesharing arm of its business earlier that year. "The E-Bike Library model was born from that," explains Shane Paul, who oversees the initiative, helping community-based organizations set up e-bike libraries for underserved populations. At their first location in a transit desert on Buffalo's East Side, 71 percent of members were first-time e-bike riders and 84 percent identified as people of color. Shared e-bikes are a particularly promising substitute for cars in urban areas, with one report estimating that a shift to e-bikes could take 8 million cars off U.S. roads. E-bike libraries address a number of barriers: The bikes are free, and the libraries are hosted by places that are already an important part of the community. In addition to maintaining the bikes, the programs also organize training, group rides and educational events to familiarize people with cycling culture and safety. "It can be something as simple as making sure you lock your bike," says Paul. "These types of programs create a space for people to learn these skills." Personal interactions and affordability are also important for Mobitwin, a social transportation service for elderly people and those with reduced mobility. Founded by the Belgian mobility nongovernmental organization Mpact, it lets elderly people request a ride from a volunteer for a nominal fee. The program, which has been running since the 1980s, currently serves around 40,000 people in Belgium. Being able to get out and about is a crucial part of participating in society, and reduced mobility in old age goes hand in hand with social isolation and loneliness, says Esen Köse, project manager at Mpact. "We want to make sure that people who are often not in the societal cycle of going to work or going to school, who are actually often left out, that they still have an option to get out of the house and do the simple daily things, like going to the grocery store, going to the hairdresser, seeing families." The booking process still primarily operates through a phone call-a recent attempt to switch to an app proved ill-suited to older users and was never implemented. A lack of digital literacy was one problem, but members also don't want to give up the social connection that comes from calling up an operator and requesting a ride, says Köse. Devising programs that work isn't just about the latest technology or trends in shared mobility options, she adds. "It's really starting from, 'OK, what are the needs of the people?'" Tim, a carsharing service run by the Austrian city of Graz, also maintains an email- and phone-based booking system in addition to its app. "Senior citizens are often also good with phones," says Katharina Mayer, head of the service. "But some are not, so we offer the necessary support." The service has also recently added a wheelchair-friendly vehicle to the fleet, and it is focused on optimizing the service for women. In 2024, only 39 percent of Tim's carsharing users were women, and customer satisfaction surveys showed that a lack of car seats for children was one of the reasons. This led Tim to include booster seats in all its cars, with seats for younger children available upon request free of charge. A survey planned for later this year will measure the impact of this change, but already, Mayer says, new customers call to inquire whether child seats are available. The mobility patterns of women also differ from those of men, in part because women tend to combine multiple short trips into one journey, for example to buy groceries and pick up children on the way home from work. "That makes their mobility a lot more complex," says Lina Mosshammer, founder and CEO of the Austrian mobility consulting company Point&. Since shared mobility solutions are usually priced by duration, distance or both, trip-chaining makes them more expensive, and most services aren't designed with small children in mind. Small tweaks like adapting the handle design on e-scooters for women's hands, which are often smaller, and offering family accounts or cheaper fares for breaks in travel can help to accommodate caregivers' needs, says Mosshammer. Free helmets and SOS buttons on bikes and e-scooters could also help address their concerns for personal safety. When mobility companies have more women in management and other positions, they also tend to have more women as users, she adds. "You tend to plan for what you know. That's why it's so important to bring in different perspectives in the development of mobility." Station-based systems-where cars are picked up and dropped off at fixed locations such as train stations, rather than left on the street as is the case with free-floating systems-can also make it easier for women to plan for their complex transportation needs. "Let's say you have to bring your kid to violin lessons every Thursday. You can book a car for every Thursday between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. a month in advance, and you know the car will be there," says Mayer. There is another reason that the city of Graz opted for this model: A free-floating system competes with public transport, while a station-based one complements it. "Our big goal is for people in Graz to sell their cars," says Mayer. "Our vehicles must offer enough options to facilitate this shift." This story was produced by Knowable Magazine and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
Cosmopolitan
35 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
'Sorry Emily Ratajkowski, but having 'zero straight men in your life' is actually your loss'
The unspoken understanding of a shared holiday wardrobe. A knowing look when it's time to leave the pub and grab an Uber home. A constant stream of communication, support, and love. It's true what they say about female friendships: they often are the strongest, most important relationships of your life. The ones that see you through both the highs and the lows; those that are there to soak in the ecstasy of celebrations, but also to scoop you up off the floor when things get rough. But Emily Ratajkowksi has still got it wrong when it comes to cutting straight male friends out of her life. In a recent interview with Elle UK, the 34-year-old model revealed she was refusing to 'centre men' right now, and instead was purposefully only spending time with women and queer friends. 'I still like men,' she said, before adding: 'I just have zero straight men in my life, unless they're a romantic interest. In the hierarchy of needs, that's at the top of the pyramid, which is nice. [Men are] pleasure and fun, but not a part of my core. The rest of my life is community with other women and queer people, and being a mum.' Look, I get it. As a woman who has been constantly berated on the internet for her 'overtly sexual nature', and labelled as a sex symbol by every mainstream media outlet under the sun, it makes sense for EmRata to want to distance herself from the male gaze; to not let men define her. It's why she wrote her 2021 book, My Body, a deeply personal investigation into both the commodification of the female form and sexuality, but also her own nuanced experience of how she — and her physical body — are perceived, scrutinised, and commented on in the public eye. But to totally remove herself from any interaction with a straight male — 'unless they're a romantic interest' — is to lose out on so much that there is to gain from these relationships. The joy that a platonic male friend can bring: the alternate view point, the differing experiences of the world, and the idea that you can connect with someone of another gender in a genuinely fulfilling (but non-sexual) way. Of course, I'm sure she's getting this from the queer community, and from other women. I have no doubt she is surrounded by interesting, kind, and funny people — and these friendships are important. And beautiful! Fulfilling! Amazing! But to dismiss a whole category of potential connections based on their gender seems reductive, and, quite frankly, a loss. Some of my best friends are male. My school friends, Ed and Ben, who I've known for almost 15 years; my husband's best men, Dan and Gaz. The idea of distancing myself from them based on their gender diminishes the importance of connection; of finding another personality you properly gel with — and also pushes the outdated relic that men and women can't 'just' be friends. There's also the suggestion that men, for EmRata, are just 'pleasure and fun', and serve no purpose beyond serving her needs. Sexual gratification, sure, but emotional connection, a shared sense of humour, or seeking advice over a shared bowl of chips? Nah, she's good. This narrative seeks to create further divide between the genders at a time when we need more open communication than ever. Recent data from King's College London found that 57% of Gen Z (aged 13 to 28) men believe women's rights have gone so far that men are now actively being discriminated against (with 36% of Gen Z women agreeing with that statement too). Surely we should be encouraging young people to talk to each other; to gain an emotional understanding of differing gender's points of view, and not further push this dynamic of division? I'd argue the men I know who nurture their female friendships make for better partners, because of their increased understanding. Who wouldn't want more of that in the world? In a sense, I get what Ratajkowksi is saying: female and queer friendships are joyful, supportive, and filled with love. But there's no reason why relationships with men shouldn't be like this too (and why we can't have both.) Maybe she just hasn't met my friends Ed and Ben yet. Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA's 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site's Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
Time Business News
2 hours ago
- Time Business News
Safe & Comfortable Travel 24/7
If you're planning a spiritual journey in Saudi Arabia, the Makkah to Medina route is one of the most sacred and frequently traveled paths for Muslims worldwide. While many pilgrims take buses or high-speed trains, taxis offer a unique combination of comfort, flexibility, and privacy—making them a popular choice for families, elderly travelers, or those on a tight schedule. The road distance between Makkah and Medina is approximately 450 km (280 miles). The journey usually takes around 4.5 to 6 hours, depending on traffic, weather conditions, and the number of stops along the way. Saudi highways are well-maintained, and the route is smooth and safe, with plenty of service stations, mosques, and rest stops. Convenience: No need to wait for public transport. Taxis pick you up and drop you off at your hotel. No need to wait for public transport. Taxis pick you up and drop you off at your hotel. Comfort: Air-conditioned, clean vehicles are common. Air-conditioned, clean vehicles are common. Flexibility: Stop anytime for prayer, food, or sightseeing. Stop anytime for prayer, food, or sightseeing. Privacy: Ideal for families, couples, or elderly pilgrims who need a peaceful ride. Budget-friendly options like standard sedans (Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata) are available for individuals or small groups. If you're traveling in a group of 4–7 people, vans like Toyota HiAce or GMC Yukon are ideal. For a premium experience, you can book luxury SUVs or sedans like Lexus or Mercedes. These often come with bilingual drivers and extra services like snacks and Wi-Fi. Standard Taxi: SAR 400–600 (~$110–$160) SAR 400–600 (~$110–$160) Family Van: SAR 600–800 (~$160–$213) SAR 600–800 (~$160–$213) Luxury SUV: SAR 1,000+ (~$266+) Vehicle type Number of passengers Luggage size Pick-up and drop-off locations Peak travel seasons (e.g., Ramadan, Hajj) Agree on a fare before starting the ride Use a translation app if language is an issue Booking via hotel often ensures fair pricing Websites and apps like Careem, Uber, and specialized Umrah taxi providers allow online booking with upfront pricing. Most hotels in Makkah and Medina can arrange a taxi for you and may include trusted drivers in their network. You can also walk to nearby taxi stands, but make sure to agree on the price first and choose a licensed driver. Careem: Reliable and app-based booking Reliable and app-based booking Uber: Available in major Saudi cities Available in major Saudi cities Sawary Transport: Known for intercity trips Known for intercity trips Zamzam Transfers: Specializes in Umrah travel Most drivers speak basic English, but Arabic is preferred. Using Google Translate or a booking service helps eliminate miscommunication. Some taxis accept cards, but cash (Saudi Riyals) is king. Always keep small denominations on hand. Look for cars with official taxi license plates. Ask for driver ID if you're unsure. Best Time to Leave: Early morning (5 AM – 8 AM) or after Isha prayer to avoid traffic and extreme heat. Early morning (5 AM – 8 AM) or after Isha prayer to avoid traffic and extreme heat. Avoid: Friday mid-day due to Jumu'ah prayer and weekend traffic. Most drivers stop at rest areas for prayer, snacks, and fuel. for prayer, snacks, and fuel. You'll pass through deserts, small towns, and scenic rock formations. Some taxis offer water, dates, or even charging ports for phones. Feature Taxi Bus Train Comfort High Medium Very High Flexibility Very Flexible Fixed schedule Fixed schedule Cost High Low Medium Privacy Yes No Limited Travel Time 4.5–6 hrs 6–7 hrs 2.5 hrs (train) If you're looking for comfort and privacy, a taxi is worth every riyal. Snacks and water Light jacket or shawl Power bank and phone charger Prayer mat and Qur'an Wear loose, breathable clothes Sit in the back for more legroom Don't hesitate to ask for a break Always wear your seatbelt Share your trip with a friend/family Don't fall asleep without securing your belongings 'We were a family of 6 and booked a van through our hotel. The driver was kind, stopped for every prayer, and even guided us through duas for the road!' — Fatima from UK 'Tried Uber and it was smooth. Bit pricey, but totally worth it for the comfort.' — Ahmed from South Africa The journey from Makkah to Medina is more than just a road trip—it's a spiritual migration that connects you to the heart of Islamic history. While there are many ways to get there, taking a taxi offers unmatched comfort, flexibility, and peace of mind. Whether you're traveling solo, with family, or in a group, make sure your ride enhances your journey, not complicates it. 1. How long is the drive from Makkah to Medina by taxi? About 4.5 to 6 hours, depending on traffic and number of stops. 2. Is it safe to travel by taxi in Saudi Arabia? Yes, especially if you use licensed taxis or book through trusted apps or hotels. 3. Can I share a taxi with other pilgrims? Yes, some services allow cost-sharing with fellow travelers. 4. Are female travelers safe in taxis? Yes, but it's best to use trusted drivers or travel in groups if possible. 5. Do taxis stop for prayer breaks? Absolutely! Most drivers are very accommodating for prayer and rest stops. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Watch: Swedish tourist's ride takes a shocking turn– Here's what happened on the Delhi highway
A Swedish tourist currently travelling across India has alleged that an Uber Intercity driver left him stranded on a Delhi highway in the middle of the day. The traveller, identified as Jonas, shared a video on Instagram detailing the incident, which quickly went viral and triggered a wave of online responses. In the video, Jonas recounted how his cab ride suddenly came to a halt mid-journey, after which the driver claimed the vehicle had broken down. What followed, he said, was completely unexpected. 'When I didn't give him the money, he just left,' says Jonas According to Jonas, the driver demanded ₹5,000 in cash for repairs after stopping the car. In the video, he alleged, 'When I didn't give him the money, he just left.' He said the driver abandoned him on the side of the road, with no help and no clarity on what to do next. Uber attempted to arrange help, but it didn't work Following the incident, Jonas contacted Uber for support. According to the caption of his Instagram post, the company did respond and attempted to organise another ride. However, none of the backup cabs actually arrived. 'They sorted me out with not one, not two, but three replacement rides, all cancelled on me. I assume as I was on the highway,' Jonas wrote. He eventually reached his destination safely, but clarified that it was without Uber's assistance. Uber apologises after the video gains attention As the video gathered momentum online, Uber India responded publicly in the comments section of the post. The official account wrote, 'Hi Jonas, we apologise for this frustrating experience. Our specialised team has investigated and taken appropriate action.' Social media reacts strongly to tourist's complaint Several users took to the comments section to express frustration over the growing number of similar cases involving app-based drivers. One user commented, 'Uber really needs to hire their own drivers. Freelancers keep demanding more money and cancelling without reason.' Another response read, 'This isn't just Uber. It's a mindset of squeezing every rupee from anyone, especially foreigners. I'm sorry you had to face this.' Many others urged Jonas to file a formal complaint, citing the need for stronger accountability in such cases.
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Business Standard
4 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Delhivery launches intracity delivery service to take on Uber, Rapido
Delhivery, India's largest integrated logistics provider, has entered the short-haul parcel delivery segment with the launch of its on-demand intracity shipping service. Branded as Delhivery Direct, the service is currently operational in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru, the company said in a regulatory filing on Friday. The move brings Delhivery into direct competition with players such as Uber, Rapido and Porter in the fast-growing market for same-city deliveries. Delhivery Direct allows customers to schedule local deliveries through its mobile app, with pickup promised within 15 minutes of booking. The service handles both small parcels and larger consignments using two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers. It was earlier piloted in Ahmedabad before being officially rolled out in Delhi and Bengaluru. Describing the launch as a natural extension of the company's logistics network, Sahil Barua, managing director and CEO, said, 'We are now fully live with Delhivery Direct across NCR and Bengaluru—two of the largest markets for on-demand intracity service in India—and will rapidly expand to key metros.' The company is aiming to tap into the growing same-day delivery market, driven by the rise of quick-commerce platforms delivering groceries, gadgets and other essentials in under 10 minutes. This also marks a strategic shift for the logistics firm, as third-party players such as Delhivery diversify their services in response to intensifying competition in long-haul freight. E-commerce majors like Amazon and Flipkart have increasingly turned to their in-house logistics arms. 'Delhivery Direct not only simplifies shipping for users, but also significantly benefits riders and drivers by providing consistent earning opportunities and flexible working hours through Delhivery's extensive network,' the company said. The Delhivery Direct App is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store.
