Article

3 ways kiosks are changing transportation

Kiosks are providing massive opportunities for mass access to transit.

July 16, 2014 by Nicole Troxell — Associate Editor, Networld Media Group

Kiosks are reaching into more and more markets every day. From caviar to designer purses, the new generation of kiosks is changing the way shoppers access information and consumer goods and services. But their reach goes beyond shopping, as kiosks are primed to impact the way people get from one place to another, providing a point of entry for people on the go.

From bike sharing to car sharing, kiosks are on the move: 

Electric car sharing

With the proliferation of electric car-sharing programs in cities around the country, more people are gaining access to personal transportation — and kiosks are playing a major role in making that possible.

For example, the city of Indianapolis announced last June the start of BlueIndy, which the city is calling the largest electric car-sharing program in the U.S. An article on WishTV.com reported that the city plans to install 500 electric vehicles at 200 kiosks and will offer access to 1,200 charging stations for the program. The kiosks will also provide opportunities for those who already own electric cars to charge them.

Drivers wanting to rent the vehicles can buy a daily, monthly or yearly membership and reserve a car online or at a nearby kiosk location. Membership cards allow customers to unlock the vehicle and inside, a GPS locator can help reserve a parking space at available charging stations.

Indianapolis Mayor Gregg Ballard said in a WishTV.com article that electric car-sharing may be ideal for those who can't afford car payments and for parents who want to save money by buying their college student a membership instead of a car. 

Indianapolis resident Gary Russell said in the article, “Everybody’s kind of looking to find most economical way to operate, to get where they got to go. So I could see myself possibly using this.”

Also, companies like City CarShare of San Franscisco are offering membership subsidies to low and moderate income groups.

Kiosks have become the point of access to these modern, individualized mass transit systems providing affordable opportunities for travel. Indianapolis and San Francisco are just two examples of cities that are maximizing the kiosk's travel potential.

Bike sharing

Transport kiosks aren't just about access to transportation; they also play a role in making a city greener. Bike sharing, along with electric car sharing, can reduce a city's carbon footprint and dependence on gas.

Nice Ride MN of Minneapolis, provider of bike sharing for the Minnesota city, conducted a survey with the National Park Service that found that 30 kiosk stations installed in neighboring St. Paul, Minn., would reduce "hydrocarbon by 4.03 pounds a day, carbon monoxide by 36.78 pounds a day, and carbon dioxide by 1,095 pounds a day."

And last July the city of Milwaukee opened its first 10-bike rental kiosk outside science and technology center Discovery World, according to an article in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. The single-station kiosk was the test site for a larger citywide plan by Midwest BikeShare Inc. to produce six to eight more stations this year. 

The site logged almost 1,000 trips in 2013 at a rate of $5 for the first hour and $8 for additional hours. 

Midwest BikeShare, a nonprofit organization, will provide 10 bikes at each kiosk. They estimate sponsorship of the kiosks to be around $15,000 a year, depending on location. The goal is to open 100 stations. 

ReFreshMKE.com reported that bike sharing will reduce the 19,032,000 vehicle miles of daily travel in Milkwaukee. In turn, congestion will become more manageable, the article said. 

Milwaukee saved approximately $111 million dollars in costs related to carbon emissions, travel and car expenses in 2004 with bike sharing. 

Bike-sharing kiosks may be particularly appealing to technologically-savvy, environmentally-conscious millennials, who are less likely to own or drive cars than previous generations.

Taxi cabs         

Kiosk technology increases efficiency and helps save money too. Take for example kiosks' growing role in helping streamline taxi cab services.   

Mobile kiosk systems can connect customers, dispatchers and drivers. Ride leads, payment and potential routes can be established through a kiosk, tablet kiosk or smartphone app that keeps records of each transaction. They can also determines a driver's location, and reservations can be made from a customer's mobile app.

"Mobile kiosk installations are more about the point-of-sale or point-of-payment experience, particularly in taxis," according to Jeremy Hudson, director of sales for Logic Supply. "Their various uses demand a system that can handle a robust combination of POS, digital signage and navigation. Delivering that range of information relies on powerful and reliable processing as well as dependable operation in a challenging mobile environment."

Also, some businesses just can't afford the usual cashless payment options, according to Veronica Rose of USA Technologies, "or the equipment for taxi cabs is too expensive and complicated. [Taxi kiosk solutions] take everything they need from the back end — dispatch, navigation, payment tools — and integrate these into one system that connect with their service, so that companies don't have to deal with clunky, expensive equipment."

Already, taxi cab kiosks can be found on the streets in some cities. London's GetTaxi just launched "black cab kiosks," a self-service system that lets users input their phone number and have a cab sent directly to the kiosk's location. Payment can be made from smartphones.

And another London company, inmidtown cabs, has integrated 24-hour customer service into their kiosk solutions. Users can book taxis and print receipts with their interactive touchscreens, and passengers will receive a text message with the driver's contact information and the cab's make, model and registration number. 

(Photo courtesy of Nothlit)

About Nicole Troxell

---

None

Connect with Nicole: