Vitalik Buterin
@vitalik.eth
In multiple European cities now I see taxis being allowed to use the bus lane (while of course regular cars are not). What's the policy justification for this?
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polar
@polar
Because they are seen as public transport. Technically they are only supposed to do so when working. Personally I prefer to have them in the taxi lanes as they are among the least predictable drivers.
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Vitalik Buterin
@vitalik.eth
But taxis don't have any of the key properties of public transport that usually motivate actively subsidizing its adoption? * environmental friendliness * low contribution to congestion * high-fixed-cost cost curve "You're annoying so you get to use the fast lane" feels like good short-term move but bad long-term :D
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Thumbs Up
@thumbsup.eth
Agreed. They should be in some sort of carpool lane maybe but that lane should not be the same as a true high occupants vehicle like a shuttle or bus.
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polar
@polar
This just came to mind, but they are a form of public transport commonly used by people who can't drive and might not be able to use buses, e.g. the elderly, the sick, the young.
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Maziusklein
@maziusklein
Taxis were public transport before environmental friendliness was a thing. From a policy point of view, taxis are for people in a hurry or with special needs.
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Luke Puplett
@lukep
I guess the thought is that taxis are circulatory transport so for people who have not introduced an additional personal car to the system. I don't have all the information to know if it's a good idea or whether incentivising mass transit should be the goal.
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