Every year since 2004 Americans have driven a little less.
And while the economy, &
urbanization are important factors, so is technology.
Im B.C. with the Top 5 tech trends that keep us
out of the drivers seat.
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Bike Sharing: I put this at #5 because, lets face it, most of us are lazy and the appeal gets pretty
narrow when its snowing or or you have to pick up your dry cleaning.
But theres no denying an
increase in city bike fleets that wouldnt work without digital technology that keeps the bikes secured
and authorizes their usage by members.
Ride Sharing: Ride share networks Uber, Lyft or Sidecar transition you from driver to rider.
And taxi
services are adopting apps to interact with them as well.
Both trends make being a rider vs.
a driver
more satisfying.
However, I rank this effect low for now as cabs are nothing new and the impact of ride
share services is still taking shape.
Mobile Phones: Not the use of them but the cost of them.
One of the major theories about why
younger people have been buying fewer cars is that the money they would use to do so is already
going to Verizon or T-Mobile.
A plan and subsidized phone can pretty easily run $135-150 a month.
Theres a cheap car and basic
insurance.http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2356247,00.asp
E-Commerce: One of the seismic shifts.
Used to be shopping and cars were synonymous but today
almost anything can be at your doorstep in a day or two without the hassle of having to go get it at .56
a mile.
On the other hand, as big as this is, I dont rank it as #1 because we still do a lot of driving to go
look at things in stores that we buy online.
Remote Work: Whether its telecommuting from home or a nearby shared workspace, driving to work
everyday is no longer a given and its huge because commuting counts for some 64% of the total
average miles driven per year in the U.S..
Remote work technology isnt new, but increasing
acceptance of digitally being there makes it more common.
