In recent years, there has been an increased focus on social responsibility, including an emphasis on the evaluation and reduction of an environmental impact, or carbon footprint, associated with various human activities. For instance, there has been a growing interest in “green technologies” for efficiently producing and utilizing energy, in recycling and reusing myriads of products and materials, and in generally conserving natural resources for future generations. In the area of transportation, increased emphasis has been placed on developing and building vast public transportation infrastructures and systems, exploring clean forms of fuel for powering individual vehicles (e.g., electric, solar, and/or hybrid technologies), and promoting the use of more fuel-efficient vehicles.
However, present transportation systems fail to provide an integrated approach, incorporating the multiple benefits of the varied transportation-related developments and green technologies. In addition, improvements in public transportation systems largely fail to provide incentives to individuals who require independence within the system. As a result of increased populations in major metropolitan areas and failures to incentivize individuals to participate in public transportation, traffic congestion remains a significant issue in many cities and urban centers.
Although specific problems have been identified above, the embodiments described herein are not limited to solving the particular problems described. The Background has been drafted merely to provide context for some embodiments. Other embodiments may be useful for solving other problems not specifically described above.