Informed Mobility

900$ electric car

2009-12-30T06:54:42Z

I was just reading this article and thought i'd pass it along. I'd never thought I'd be jealous of people living in Oklahoma, but feel free to bring 900$ electric cars to Massachusetts.

http://www.ecogeek.org/component/content/article/3018

MARC Train Picture

2009-12-02T21:24:41Z

Here's a picture of a MARC train:

The Bus

2009-09-19T13:14:12Z

This bus runs on natural gas.

California's High Speed Rail versus Amtrak

2009-09-08T14:25:10Z

California's high speed rail sounds like a terrific idea to me, but instead of getting inspired, it reminds me of how much room there is for improvement with Amtrak.

In my experience, I've found Amtrak to be slow, late, and overpriced. And above all that - its subsidized.

I did a little research and found this article at the CATO Institute: Amtrak Subsidies: This is no Way to Run a Railroad. I couldn't agree more with the sentiment in the article, and I'm disappointed to learn about the facts it presents:

Amtrak has received $13 billion in United States subsidies
It would be cheaper for the American taxpayer to pay for airline tickets for Amtrak customers than to partially subsidize their travel on Amtrak
The average Amtrak passenger has higher income than the average American taxpayer

There is probably several politicians and lobbyist groups who are making bank off this sad situation.

Additional Resources:

Grosvenor Metro Station

2009-09-06T16:34:59Z

Grosvenor Metro Station is near my abode so I pick up the metro there.

My Vamoose Bus Experience

2009-08-15T22:30:11Z

This weekend I took a ride on a Vamoose Bus from Bethesda, MD to New York, NY.

Overall, the experience was positive, and if their price remains competitive, I will probably ride them again. The ride to New York was great, even though the bus was 100% full, we made good time and the traffic was light.

On the way back to Bethesda, the experience was different. The bus was about half full, and for some reason we took back roads through almost all of New Jersey. I'm guessing the driver did that because of traffic on the highway, at least I'm hoping that was the reason!

What's worse is that we stopped for fifteen minutes at a rest area in Delaware. Why? I bet that everyone on the bus would have rather made it to our destination faster than spend time at the rest area.

So all in all, the trip took about five and a half hours, way longer than I expected. Obviously they have no control over traffic, but the rest area stop was a waste of time in my opinion. Thankfully it was only fifteen minutes!

Otherwise, the Vamoose buses were nice and clean. The seats comfortable but for me at six foot two inches, a little small.

Sixty dollars round trip is not a bad price. I'd like to check out other options and see if there are any buses with bigger, more comfortable seats too. While I was waiting to board the Vamoose Bus, I took this picture of a megabus:

There is also the boltbus. Both boltbus and megabus leave from Baltimore though, not Bethesda. That might actually be easier, as I could get on a MARC train at Garrett Park, and then go to Baltimore to catch the bus.

DC Metro

2009-08-09T21:07:18Z

I rode on the DC Metro recently and took this lousy picture:

San Francisco BART

2009-07-31T19:50:08Z

I traveled to San Francisco recently and was very impressed with the Bay Area Rapid Transit system:

The Bamboo Cyclo

2009-06-05T00:09:33Z

How'd you like to get around in one of these vehicles:

Additional Costs to Obesity: Airline Surcharges

2009-04-16T02:36:33Z

As if being obese and having to fit into uncomfortable airplane seats weren't bad enough, I read in the news today that obese passengers may be charged double for taking up too much space.

At first I thought it was unfair, but then I realized: what are the airlines selling? They are selling space and transport on a plane. Both the space and the transportation costs are directly tied to the size and weight of the passenger due to fuel costs and aerodynamic constraints.

Perhaps we should get billed by height and weight? That would probably be the fairest way to charge, but it would also be incredibly inefficient. Maybe not though, my last experience going through the security checkpoint at an airport was thorough and fast. Its all in how a process is managed.

Southwest = No Fees

2008-12-06T17:02:24Z

I hadn't flown Southwest in a few years, but since they fly from Baltimore to Providence, I took the flight yesterday. Because of all the fees which airlines have been adding, including checked bags, I made an extra special effort to not have to check any bags, but my small carry on was checked anyway right before I got on the plane.

Because of this, I learned that Southwest doesn't charge for checked bags. I'm not sure this is such a good idea, but it does make for a good marketing slogan.

What do you think about fees for checked baggage?

AirTran Follows Suit: $15 / Checked Bag

2008-11-12T16:53:09Z

AirTran is the latest airline to add a fee for checked baggage. Along with their tickets, the price for the baggage is a little bit cheaper than their competition.

I actually think this trend is good for the industry - why pay for something you're not going to use? Years ago, it would have been too expensive, logistically, for the airlines to provide à la care services. Now that everything has been put online, its much easier for airlines to sell services to those who need it, and not to those who don't. That makes things much more efficient for everyone!

United / Ted

2008-11-12T03:04:37Z

My recent trip to Las Vegas was flown on a United Airlines "Ted" low-cost airline. This was my first time on one of these, though I've certainly flown on United planes before.

I liked the Ted plane. I was slightly uncomfortable as usual due to my height versus the available leg room on most airplanes. The plane only had one section, but the front seats were called "Economy Plus", and supposedly come with extra foot room. The advertised price is "Starting at $14", but for my flight it was $59 each way, so I declined the offer.

Regarding my last post about United baggage fees, I had no problem with my laptop bag and my Samsonite roller luggage. The passenger next to me though mentioned that her checked bag cost $90 extra due to being over weight. Ouch!

United Baggage Fees

2008-11-07T18:43:45Z

I'm flying on a United airplane tomorrow, and I'm trying to figure out if they are charging for carry-on or checked luggage.

I had meant to do this earlier, but then only remembered today when I saw this story from BusinessWeek.

I found information about checked bags, but nothing, so far, about carry on luggage.

First bag	Second bag
$15 each way	$25 each way

Since I'll only be away for a few days, I won't be bringing enough to require checking anything.

Delta + Northwest

2008-10-30T01:07:15Z

Delta and Northwest are merging, and together they will form the world's largest airline. I've flown and enjoyed flying Delta, but really miss their Song low-cost brand

My guess is that they will keep the Delta name - in my opinion its a quality brand name.