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Democratic Bus

 The end to bus routes.
  (-1)
(-1) 		  [vote for,
against]

How annoying is it not to live on a bus route. The democratic bus is much safer than the traditional single driver vehicle and goes where the people wish it to rather than along a fixed route. Each passenger has a set of controls, steering wheel, brake etc all connected to sensors rather than the wheels and engine. Some small amount of circuitry decides on the best possible course of action from the inputs of all the passengers and controls the bus accordingly. Apart from the splendid democratic routing, it will be a very safe vehicle as all the passengers will keep a look out for traffic from the sides as well as in front as apposed to a single driver who only looks out the front.

You haven't got a section for buses, car-sharing is as close as I could get.

—peterm, Mar 25 2003

Democrabus http://www.bbc.co.uk/genius/
Apparently tonight (20th March) "Genius" will include the "Democrabus" [hippo, Mar 20 2009]

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       We did bus destinations by voting before sometime.
—DrCurry, Mar 25 2003
   

       //You haven't got a section for buses// Might I suggest public: bus.
—Worldgineer, Mar 25 2003
   

       Ah well I only found this place this evening so I wasn't aware of destinations by voting. Can't see that working in the US. 1/4 of the passengers would be loonies and the bus would go where they wanted. Half of thirty people seeing it is better than half a single driver seeing it. They might like to mention it to the other half.
—peterm, Mar 25 2003
   

       1: What happens when a driver in front of the bus slams on his/her brakes and the drivers in the DB react? Half swerve right, half swerve left, the bus decides the democratic choice is to continue straight ahead?
2: When I get on a bus, I usually know it's going where I want it to, and I expect it to get there.
3: How is this democratic driving supposed to get the bus to your house to pick you up in the first place?
4: A major reason I take the bus is so I can relax on my trip to work, instead of having to worry about driving.
5: This will likely have each driver exaggerating their inputs in effort to get the bus to do what -they- want. This will have the effect of some people with the gas mashed to the floor, some with the brake mashed to the floor, some with the wheel full right, some with the wheel full left...see where this is going?		   

       Welcome to the HB...
—Freefall, Mar 25 2003
   

       I see where this is going: just like the U.S., the system has been subverted by bullies and we all have to go along with their plan.
—snarfyguy, Mar 25 2003
   

       What happens in the case of a tied vote, anyhow?
—Freelancer, Mar 25 2003
   

       1. A decent control system could decide that there is some problem and slow down. 2. Seeing new places is good for people. 3. It won't. That's called a taxi. People will soon learn where most of the buses are. 4. Just leave it to the others on the bus. Remember if you don't vote you can't complain if the outcome is not to your liking. 5. People need to learn to co-operate a little moe then. Not just on buses.   

       For a tied vote, buses will have an odd number of seats.
—peterm, Mar 26 2003
   

       //For a tied vote, buses will have an odd number of seats.// I think you mean that the conductor has to ensure that there are an odd number of people on board, and that all of them vote.   

       This is a solution without a problem (other than I want to be able to catch a bus from outside my house but I don't live on a bus route). Catch a cab. -
—PeterSilly, Mar 26 2003
   

       [peterm] an exceptionally well wrought commentary on the democratic system. For that, a positive vote lost in a sea of negativity.
—ato_de, Mar 26 2003
   

       More a commentary on management by committee than on democracy itself. (Democracy entails voting for the bus driver, not giving everyone a steering wheel.)
—DrCurry, Mar 26 2003
   

       "Democracy, n.: A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of direct expression. Results in mobocracy. Attitude toward property is communistic... negating property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether it is based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. Result is demagogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy." U. S. Army Training Manual No. 2000-25 (1928-1932), since withdrawn.   

       Doesn't mention bus drivers does it. Or government for the people by the people, not by someone else.
—peterm, Mar 26 2003
   

       This idea might be on BBC2 in the UK tonight - 20th March (see link). The other Halfbakery idea on that link is "Steel drum urinals for musical trips to the loo"
—hippo, Mar 20 2009
   

       Baked - although the mechanism was different, and it was a benevolent dictatorship rather than a democracy. For a while, we had a system where a small number of late night buses left the city after the ordinary, time-tabled ones had finished. Each served a general sector, ordinarily covered by several routes. The passengers would each tell the driver where they wanted to go, and the driver would plan a route accordingly, dropping you off at the end of your street, or right outside your door if convenient.   

       It worked brilliantly, and was quite a lot of fun (you never knew quite what route would be taken, and the atmosphere among the passengers was pleasantly open and chatty), but it was scrapped - apparently because of complaints from taxi drivers.
—spidermother, Feb 15 2012
   

       Baked by Airbus (well, I know they make planes, but bear with me). Each pilot has a control stick and the control inputs are averaged between the two. If one pilot pulls back and the other pushes forward, the plane does nothing. Horrifying, I know.
—DIYMatt, Feb 16 2012
   

       Not so horrifying, really. Perhaps the Airbus engineers were thinking of the 1999 EgyptAir 990 crash.
—mouseposture, Feb 17 2012
   


 

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