Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum

Maybe self-driving cars could address the problem of mental overload from complicated public transportation maps.  They could roam around pick people up and then drop them off at a destination.


https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20...185214.htm - "After analysing the world's 15 largest metropolitan transport networks, the researchers estimated that the information limit for planning a trip is around 8 bits. (A 'bit' is a binary digit -- the most basic unit of information.)

Additionally, similar to the 'Dunbar number', which estimates a limit to the size of an individual's friendship circle, this cognitive limit for transportation suggests that maps should not consist of more than 250 connection points to be easily readable."

Somebody somewhere will write an app to use with a phone or PDA that will give you the stops you need to get on and off to complete a complex journey and then it will all be about either using a device to complete a journey or follow someone else that's completing the same journey with a device.

Eventually the whole process might operate off of a smart cell phone, including payments.  Ironically, the people who most need to ride the public transportation are the ones least likely to afford a cell phone.