A new study by MIT researchers shows how airlines could juggle delays more equitably by distributing disruptions among themselves, reports Bart Jansen for USA Today. The researchers found that airlines could distribute delays “without adding significantly to the overall delays.”
In collaboration with Columbia University and the University of Nairobi, MIT researchers have created a map of Nairobi’s informal matatu (or mini-bus) transit system, writes Shara Ton for Wired. Ton explains that, “Just as New York commuters can plot their subway routes on the service, residents of Nairobi can now jack into the matatu system on their smartphones.”
Steve Annear writes for The Boston Globe about “TransportationCamp New England,” a conference exploring the future of transportation to be held at MIT on April 11th. The event will “play host to demonstrations of technologies including a fuel cell car and the Cambridge-bred Copenhagen Wheel, which provides stored electric power to cyclists struggling to pump their pedals.”
Senior lecturer Steven Spear writes for The Boston Globe about the issues with public transportation in Boston this winter and how the MBTA can avoid similar problems in the future. Spear argues that it is necessary for the MBTA to develop “a high-speed problem- solving capability characteristic of the world’s most resilient organizations.”
Professor John Hansman reflects on the two Malaysian airliners lost in 2014 in this Boston Globe article. “It appears that in 2014 more people perished from terrorist acts in commercial aviation than all other aviation accident causes combined,” writes Hansman.
Sanjay Salomon writes for Boston.com about the MIT Media Lab’s “You Are Here” project, highlighting the maps researchers have produced exhibiting transportation options for 100 cities. “According to the project’s map of Cambridge, public transportation seems to fall short for most of the city,” writes Salomon.
Sacha Pfeiffer and Lynn Jolicoeur of WBUR report on Cambridge Mobile Telematics, a company founded by MIT Professor Hari Balakrishnan to help improve driver safety. The company developed an app that “automatically detects when you’re in the car and driving, it detects when you’ve stopped driving, and then it provides feedback to you,” Pfeiffer and Jolicoeur report.
BBC News reporter Chris Neiger writes that MIT researchers have developed a new traffic management system to help drivers avoid congested roads. “According to field trials, the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)-based traffic solution resulted in an 8% increase in overall vehicle speed,” write Neiger.
Jordon Golson of Wired reports on a new traffic control system created by MIT researchers: “The ‘RoadRunner’ system, developed for Singapore by graduate student Jason Gao and his advisor Li-Shiuan Peh, issues a digital ‘token’ to each car entering a congestion-prone area.”
Henry Grabar of Salon writes about new research by Professor Carlo Ratti on the impacts of taxi sharing. If taxi sharing was implemented in New York City, “the total distance traveled by New York City cabs would fall by 40 percent, relieving traffic, reducing air pollution and speeding up travel for everyone else on the road,” Grabar writes.
MIT Professor Carlo Ratti and Cornell University Professor Steven Strogatz write for The Huffington Post about their research examining the benefits of taxi sharing. They write that their analysis shows by sharing taxis, “the total number of taxi trips in New York City could be reduced by 40 percent, fleet operation costs and pollution could be reduced by 30 percent.”
Arnie Cooper of Newsweek writes about the new MIT study that found taxi sharing could have significant impacts on New York City’s transportation system. Researchers in the MIT Senseable City Lab envision a future application that would facilitate ride sharing.
U.S. News & World Report’s Alan Neuhauser writes about the MIT taxi-sharing study. "This research shows what would happen if people have sharing as an option. And that choice is becoming increasingly popular, as the availability of real time information in our pockets allows us to make immediate, informed decisions based on our needs and resources," says Prof. Carlo Ratti.
Michael Casey of Fortune reports on the new MIT study that examines taxi sharing in New York City. The researchers found that more than 95 percent of taxi trips could be shared with only a minimal inconvenience to passengers.
BetaBoston reporter Nidhi Subbaraman examines new MIT research on the benefits of sharing a cab. The researchers found that implementing a taxi-sharing system “would translate to cuts in emissions and traffic congestion, as well as untold improvements to the sanity of commuters stuck in rush-hour traffic,” Subbaraman writes.