ECO FLORIDA magazine-2

E C O
R I D E S H A R I N G I S T R E N D I N G
A
I R O L F
IN BABCOCK RANCH
RIDE SHARING TO
LAKE NONA
The greenset city in Florida
proving that you will go far
by ridesharing
GRANDPARENTS CAN
MOVE
There are also networks for
baby boomers.
A model of what smart and
connected community can
achieve.

ECO
RIDES
ISSUE
Ridesharing is the simple act of filling empty
seats by pairing drivers and riders who share
common origins, destinations, or stops in route.
It sounds simple, offer a carpool to a friend or
neighbor who is going somewhere near your
destination. But this simple practice has a
powerful benefit that goes beyond doing
someone else a favor.
When trips are pooled, people split costs, easy
traffic, lighten the load on infrastructure, and
may reduce commuting stress, while curtailing
emissions per person. The latter contributes
enormously to the climate crisis, and it is for
them that it must be implemented immediately
everywhere. Macro changes in areas such as oil
prices and city layout will certainly play a role in
the future of ridesharing, but the key to success
is to become increasingly dynamic, flexible and .
profitable, so that it can be offered and people
adapt to this.
In Florida, more and more cities offer the method
of ridesharing with electric vehicles, where
people from the community can go to their jobs,
to the market or to the parks together with their
neighbors without using their own vehicles,
significantly reducing emissions of CO2. Babcock
Ranch is a new green and sustainable city
created in Florida and thanks to its example,
cities that have not been created as green are
copying their methods of public transportation,
such as Lake Nona in Orange County, with the
implementation of electric vehicles. for their
communities, friendly and sustainable, thus
contributing to the reduction of the effects of
climate change.
.
ECO
FLORIDA
April 2021

BABCOCK
RANCH
AND ITS
BATTERY
BUSES
East of Fort Meyers, Florida is building America's
greenest community. The new town will be called
Babcock Ranch and is being designed in a sustainable
way from the start: opportunities for walking and biking
will be maximized as all homes will be close to the mall.
There will be paths exclusively dedicated for pedestrians
and those who prefer bicycles.
The city will also be powered mostly by solar energy.
Florida Power & Light is building a solar park made up of
350,000 solar panels. In addition, a storage battery will
be added, which will make it possible to store clean and
renewable energy during the day, for use after sunset.
There are other ideas for the sustainable city: self-driving
cars or shared vehicles.
Residents of Babcock Ranch enjoy convenient
transportation around the community via electricpowered
self-driving shuttles provided by Babcock Ranch
Transportation Services, with them they can go shopping,
to their jobs, to visit relatives.
Since they do not use gasoline or diesel, battery
buses do not produce tailpipe pollution. Thus,
battery buses offer a better option than other bus
technologies for reducing our greenhouse gas
emissions, as well as other harmful pollutants in
urban areas.

SENIORS
In 2015, ride-hailing behemoth Uber started a pilot program in
Gainesville, Florida, to provide transportation for residents of two
senior living communities.
The company offered technology tutorials to help seniors get
comfortable with using the app to request a ride. In 2016, Uber
expanded the program to all seniors in Gainesville.
Though that program has yet to expand, Uber also offers some extra
assistance for seniors with its Uber Assist program and has launched
uberWAV giving riders a wheelchair-accessible option.
On the other hand, the company
has been criticized at times for not
offering more services for people
with disabilities and has been sued
under the Americans With
Disabilities Act to provide more
access.
We propose that Uber offer
communities to ridesharing for
groups of seniors to go to rides,
squareWes, club houses, parks,
pharmacies or to the market.
Avoiding the use of motor
vehicles for these short
transfers.
VAGABOND | 23 September 2019

INTRODUCES ORANGE
COUNTY'S FIRST
AUTONOMOUS
TRANSPORTATION
A smart community within the City of Orlando and
Orange County, Beep is collaborating with the innovative
planned community to introduce Florida's first
autonomous transportation service. "Lake Nona
continues to be a model for what a smart and connected
community can accomplish," said Orange County Mayor
Jerry L. Demings. "The introduction of autonomous
electric vehicle transportation service to Central Florida
marks a watershed moment for the future of
transportation in our region and will position Orange
County as a place where new and innovative technology
is exposed." The incorporation of AUTONOMOUS
Transportation Service in Lake Nona will be the first step
towards integrating new mobility technology in the
region.
SERVICE
The autonomous transportation service in Lake Nona
will go live in the spring and will feature two
autonomous vehicles with a specialized operator on
board each. The AUTONOMOUS vehicle accommodates
up to 15 people and will run set tours within the Lake
Nona community at speeds up to 16 mph. This service
is designed to improve productivity and decongest
traffic in urban centers, as well as optimize safety and
passenger movement. Lake Nona is a nationally
recognized smart and visionary city within the City of
Orlando. By prioritizing breakthrough technology,
strategic partnerships, education, and wellness, Lake
Nona is dedicated to finding solutions to improve the
lives of its employees, residents, and visitors. Lake
Nona also serves as a living laboratory and a blueprint
for the future of communities. "Lake Nona's
multimodal transportation strategy - Move Nona -
creates a constant and efficient mobility network
throughout the 17-square-mile community offering a
wide variety of options to get around.
We hope that Lake Nona will become an influencer city
so that all the cities of Florida and other states,
contribute by lowering the emission of CO2 and
minimizing climate change.
LAKE NONA

RIDESHARING
A P R I L 2 0 T H 2 0 2 1
BY: CAMILA DIAZ