第1531期 :The congestion caused by ride-hailing

Have you ever taken a taxi? In the past, doing so meant finding one, flagging it down and telling the driver where you wanted to go, paying, and possibly, adding a tip. And while this still happens, it’s less common than it used to be. These days, it’s much easier to open a ride-hailing app. All of the boring stuff gets taken care of. It’s a perfect solution!

你坐过出租车吗？在过去，这样做意味着找到一个，标记它并告诉司机你想去哪里，支付，并可能添加小费。虽然这种情况仍然会发生，但它不像以前那么常见了。如今，打开打车应用程序要容易得多。所有无聊的事情都得到了照顾。这是一个完美的解决方案！

Except that it isn’t. A recent report from urban transport consultant Bruce Schaller, who spent the last four years studying traffic flow in New York, concluded that the use of these app-based journeys is causing traffic jams. The 81% increase in these city-based rides means that there are now five times more of them than the iconic yellow taxicab.

但事实并非如此。过去四年研究纽约交通流量的城市交通顾问 Bruce Schaller 最近的一份报告得出的结论是，使用这些基于应用程序的旅程正在造成交通拥堵。这些以城市为基础的游乐设施增加了 81%，这意味着它们现在的数量是标志性的黄色出租车的五倍。

“It’s the shift in patronage from public transport,” he told the BBC. For whatever reason, people decide that it’s just too much hassle. “That means moving people from larger vehicles into smaller ones, which means more vehicles to move the same people. Therefore, more traffic.” In addition, the sheer number of cars now looking for a commuter means that they spend 45% of their time empty, just cruising for a fare, and inadvertently clogging up the city’s infrastructure.

“这是公共交通的客流量转变，”他告诉 BBC。无论出于何种原因，人们认为这太麻烦了。“这意味着将人员从较大的车辆转移到较小的车辆中，这意味着更多的车辆可以运送相同的人。因此，更多的流量。”此外，现在寻找通勤者的汽车数量之多意味着他们有 45% 的时间是空车，只是为了车费而巡航，并无意中堵塞了城市的基础设施。

“They are out there in force at the worst possible times,” said Prof Christo Wilson, a computer scientist at Northeastern University, who has also studied the services. He refers to Uber’s traffic data, which ‘perfectly matches the peaks for the rush hour.’ He also adds that the low fares and convenience mean that people are ordering rides to go from A to B when they wouldn’t normally. Both help contribute to the gridlock.

东北大学计算机科学家克里斯托·威尔逊教授说：“他们在最糟糕的时候发挥作用。”他也研究过这些服务。他提到了优步的交通数据，“完美匹配高峰时段的高峰期”。他还补充说，低廉的票价和便利性意味着人们在他们通常不会订购从 A 到 B 的乘车服务。两者都有助于导致僵局。

So what can be done to stop traffic from backing up or bottlenecking? One solution involves combining ride-hailing with sharing. Many ride-hailing companies, such as Uber, Didi Chuxing in China and Ola in India enable customers to carpool. This allows travellers who share similar destinations to share the journey. The app enables an en route pickup,which means more streamlined traffic, and less time spent with an empty vehicle.

那么可以做些什么来阻止流量备份或瓶颈呢？一种解决方案是将网约车与共享相结合。许多叫车公司，如优步、中国的滴滴出行和印度的 Ola，都允许客户拼车。这允许共享相似目的地的旅行者共享旅程。该应用程序支持在途取货，这意味着更流畅的交通，更少的空车时间。

Could this decongest the world’s jam-packed roads? It is certainly one solution. But maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the more traditional public transport options. "Congestion is a really complicated issue," said Andrew Salzberg, head of Uber's transport policy. But, “There is no more efficient way to move people around than public transport," he added. So don’t do away with that bus pass just yet.

这可以缓解世界上拥挤的道路吗？这当然是一种解决方案。但也许我们不应该这么快就放弃更传统的公共交通选择。“拥堵是一个非常复杂的问题，”优步交通政策负责人安德鲁萨尔茨伯格说。但是，“没有比公共交通更有效的交通方式了，”他补充说。所以暂时不要取消公共汽车通行证。

词汇表

flag down 挥手拦车
ride-hailing 叫车服务
traffic flow 交通流量
traffic jam 交通堵塞
public transport 公共交通
vehicle（车辆等）交通工具
commuter 通勤者
cruise for a fare 慢行寻找一位出租车乘客
clog up 使…堵塞
infrastructure 基础设施
rush hour（上下班）高峰期
from A to B 从一个地方到另一个地方
gridlock（城市）交通大瘫痪
back up 堵车
bottleneck 在狭窄路段堵车
carpool 拼车
destination 目的地
en route 在途中的
pickup 接人
streamline 高效的
decongest 减轻、减缓交通拥堵
jam-packed 拥挤不堪的、水泄不通的