Cruisin', a Science Fiction Story

By Ann K. Parsons

An Introduction

The following story was written in 1982, or thereabouts. The story has been revised since, to allow for the improvements in technology. It was written in response to the need for individualized transportation for persons with disabilities and for others. It is my firm belief that if we all work together, we can solve the bane of our existence, the lack of individualized, computer driven transportation. though this story is Science Fiction, it, like so many stories in this gendre are precursors of the future. I hope and pray the future will come soon.

Cruisin

Linda Havenstead sat at the head table and breathed a sigh of relief. She was relaxing for the first time in twenty years. Linda was the executive director of Computrans, a national coalition of individuals and organizations whose members wished to promote the use of individualized computerized transportation. In recent years, computrans had become a corporation which designed and sold the means toward this end.

She had started the organization in 1997, after ten years of fruitless attendance at various committees, boards and research groups, whose purpose was to remove the bane of persons having disabilities existence, the obtaining of transportation.

Linda was totally blind. She traveled on foot, with her guide dog, Prince. He was her savior and her friend. But Prince was the third of her guide dogs, and soon, he would have to be retired, and a new dog would take his place. But that grim reality shouldn't intrude on this occasion, for, she was seated next to the President of the United States, and tonight, the national computerized traffic system designed and promoted by Computrans was to be switched on.

The President had turned to his table companion on his other side, after speaking to her.

Linda's mind, having leisure to savor the moment, went back to the night when she and Lady, her second guide dog, had finally reached their front door, after a two and a half hour trip home from her office. The awful part of it was that the office, where she worked as a legal assistant, had been two miles from her apartment.

The nightmare had started at five o'clock when all the other workers were leaving the office building. It was mid-January, and a light snow had been falling all day. Her usual means of transportation home in winter or when she was working later than usual, the paratransit line was sure to be late. It was, an hour late.

She had stood in the lobby of the office building, imagining that it was in darkness. It wasn't. There were still cleaning crews at work, but the emptiness and silence had lent credence to her fears. Finally, she heard the beep, beep of the paratransit vehicle's horn. She went out into the gently falling snow, mentally cursing the lateness of the hour. When she reached the vehicle, the voice that greeted her wasn't Roy's, the usual driver for the route.

"You Ms. Havenstead?" said a sullen twangy voice.

"That's right," she replied. "Snow must make it difficult to drive."

"Damned right, I'm two hours late now. Yer my last pick-up. I can go home after I drop you off."

"Where's Roy tonight?" she asked.

"Ah, he's sick, flu or somethin'."

Linda climbed the steps, paid her fare and sat down in a seat. Lady lay down in the aisle. The driver was silent as he drove. Linda missed Roy's ebullient chatter. Her mind turned to the dinner she'd left in her crockpot.

After twenty minutes, the bus stopped and the driver said, "Here you are."

She descended the steps and turned to wave, but he was driving off into the snow.

"Lady, forward," she said, confidently.

Something was wrong. Lady hadn't moved. Maybe the new driver had let her off to the side of her entrance. But if he had, why hadn't he said so?

"Right, Lady," she said, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice so that it wouldn't confuse her friend. The dog obeyed.

"Left left," she said, alerting Lady that she wanted to find the next left turn. Lady didn't turn. She gave the command again. No left turn followed.

Beginning to be puzzled, but not yet frightened, Linda turned around and started looking for the entrance in the opposite direction. Relief flooded her when Lady turned right. They walked for about twenty feet, then Lady paused, as if she were checking at a flight of steps. Her building didn't have steps. None of the apartments in her complex had steps. She put her foot forward, and sure enough, there WERE steps. She climbed them. There were four of them.

In a flash of memory, she remembered a summer evening when she had climbed a similar set of steps. On that occasion, she had left her office at seven-thirty, having worked late on a contract. She'd decided not to take the public fixed route bus because of the lateness of the hour. That evening, she'd discovered that she had been let off at 177 Evergreen Court instead of 177 Evergreen Estates, which was across Reynolds Avenue which had no light and was a through street with wicked traffic.

It had been easy that night to get help to cross the street. People were outside enjoying the nice weather. A group of teenagers had been lounging on the grass of the island which was in the center of the circular driveway. Two of them had gotten up and escorted her and Lady back across to her own apartment complex. It had been inconvenient, but not threatening.

Tonight was different. It was snowing harder now, and the wind was rising. No one was outside. She cursed the paratransit driver in language which would have shocked her colleagues. After all, blind people NEVER cursed or raised their voices.

Feeling somewhat better, she had to decide how best to tackle her problem. She must ask for help. The snow was deepening, and the wind would make it impossible for her or Lady too hear the traffic on Reynolds Avenue.

She'd found the help she'd needed that winter night, after an hour of ringing bells, receiving no response, or getting answered by elderly individuals who, though sympathetic, couldn't help her. She'd arrived home at seven thirty to find that her crockpot supper had cooked dry.

By the time she'd thrown out the spoiled stew in the crockpot, cleaned the badly burned appliance, and fixed herself some eggs, it was eight forty-five. As she sat down, she remarked to Lady, "I am so, damned sick and tired of depending on someone else to transport me from place to place. I can't go when I want. I can't go where I want. Even if I take the normal transit buses, I have to wait and walk. If I take cabs I have to tip, and I pay five dollars in order to go two miles. And even then, I have to wait. If I ask my friends to take me places, I feel beholden. This has got to stop! It's time some one did something about computerized transit."

That was the beginning of it all. Linda sat in her chair and listened as The President introduced her by telling the story.

When she rose and was handed the microphone her eyes were moist. She faced straight out toward the people and said, "Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to be here this evening. This is an historic occasion, one that will be remembered as being a turning point in the lives of all people in the United States of America and throughout the entire world. We wouldn't be here today to switch on the completed U.S. Computrans system if it hadn't been for many, many people. We have been testing the system for the past two and a half years. It gives me great pleasure to share this moment with so many. I would like to call some of them up to the platform so that they can tell their stories. I want them with me when the switch is thrown. First, I'd like to call Marcia Fields."

Marcia rolled up to the platform in her motorized chair and plugged her computer into the P.A. system. Her fingers flew across its keyboard, and its synthesized voice spoke for her.

"I have wanted computerized transit for as long as I can remember. I was born with Cerebral Palsy. I use this chair to get around. I can not speak clearly enough for most people so I use this computer to help me do that. Until recently, I had been working in a sheltered workshop. I have an M.S. in Computer Science. I went to school, but my degree meant nothing. I couldn't get to work independently. I had to have someone make the calls for me whenever I wanted transportation. Employers weren't willing to deal with that or the fact that I might be late, due to public transportation. Now, I work for Computers Limited. They are located half an hour from my house. I have been one of the test subjects for Computrans. I haven't been late to work once in a whole year, and I haven't had to ask for help for any of my transportation needs either."

There was a swell of applause. Marsha continued. "Besides that, I have been able to go to the Banister Play House to see six plays this year. No one I know likes Shakespeare or melodramas, so I went by myself. I have also visited many friends that I haven't been able to see because they live off the bus lines or in distant cities. I drove myself to the airport twice, and when I got to my destination, I was able to rent a Computrans vehicle equipped just like mine at home. I was lucky because my friends live in cities which were also being equipped for beta testing by Computrans."

She smiled and continued, "I am free at last!"

The applause swelled again. Linda took the mike back and called another name. "Would Mr. and Mrs. Steven Plotsick come up please. It gives me great pleasure to introduce this couple. They will tell you their story. I will merely say that they are the president and the treasurer of Parents Against Drunk Driving."

Mr. Plotsick took the mike. "When our son and daughter-in-law were killed by a drunk driver on their wedding day, we thought our lives were over. We joined Parents Against Drunk Driving, but it wasn't enough. Raising the drinking age helped. Bars offering free meals and no Happy Hours helped. Classes for school kids helped. But when we heard of Computrans, it seemed like an answer to prayer. At this present moment, all the major highways and streets, as well as those side streets which have Computrans patrons living on them, have been connected. It is our prediction that within five years, everyone in the U.S. will be patrons of Computrans. Our dealers are already offering enormous savings to customers who want to trade in their vehicles. We anticipate an eighty-five percent reduction in fatalities due to drunk driving in the next two years. By the end of five years, we hope to see the incidents of drunk driving fatalities reduced to zero. On the other hand, the Restaurateur's Association, one of our biggest opponents, have nothing to complain about now. Because of Computrans, more people will be able to get out to restaurants. We can not stop people from drinking, much as we'd like to, but now, a Computrans patron can drink as much as he wants, get into his vehicle, press one button and return home, without endangering himself or anyone else. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a victory!"

Mrs. Plotsick took the mike from her husband. "Steve's said most of it, but what I wanted to say was that parents need never worry again that their innocent children will be killed by a driver using a weapon without thinking, no, never again! Do you know what that means? It means that parents can sleep at night. It means that an innocent couple will never be taken away from us in the flower of their youth by an unthinking monster!"

Mrs. Plotsick's eyes were streaming as she handed the mike back to Linda. The applause were deafening. Linda's eyes were wet as well. She continued. "I'd like to call my niece Jeannette and her parents John and Louise Havenstead."

A youngish couple with their daughter came up to the platform. The little girl took the mike. "My name's Jeannette, and I've got a car and a driver's license. That's right, I just turned ten last week and I've got a driver's license from Computrans. My license is just like yours except that it's green. That means that when I punch in a destination on my car, a call goes to my parents at work or at home to ask if it's alright if I go to whereever. The car will only go if either my mother or my father's voice print checks out in Computrans' computer. Not only that, one of them has to type in a code number before my car'll go. If my parents can't answer the call, or if they say no, then I can't go. But that's okay because that way, no one can kidnap me by making me drive them someplace. Or I can't go someplace where my parents don't know where I am. Computrans is real strict about that."

The audience smiled and chuckled. Jeanette continued, "Since my parents pay for my license and my car, 'cause I don't have any money, a record of each trip goes into the computer. I also can't go out of the city unless I'm in convoy with my school or my parents. My car won't go if I try to go outside the city."

Jeannette smiled. "But, my mom can do things she wants to do now, she doesn't have to drive me around all the time. She likes that."

Mrs. Havenstead took the mike from her daughter. "Thank you Dear, that was wonderful. Since I'm the public relations director for Computrans, I'd like to review some of the features of Computrans vehicles." "At this time, all Computrans vehicles are two seaters. We anticipate the manufacture of four seaters within the year. Many people will still want to have a "family car" for traveling together. Our vehicles have a computer console installed in place of the steering wheel. Each two seater car has two doors and a luggage carrier in back. The four seaters will have four doors of course. There are large windows for a good view. Each vehicle comes with a two way CB radio which can be tuned to over fifty stations. The stereo comes with cassette and CD player. We offer air conditioning, musical horns, a homing beacon that will beep when set going by a remote control switch. That's useful if you are blind and need to locate your car in a parking lot. We offer vans with lifts. Of course, we offer both voice operated and keyboard operated computer access, as well as voice, braille or visual display readouts. In addition, your car's computer can be programmed to access your home and work computers, making transferal of files, email and using the Worldwide web an easy task."

Mrs. Havenstead continued, "As you know, we're offering fantastic savings for those who wish to trade in their old cars. By 2025, all vehicles will have to be computerized by law. They may not necessarily be Computrans, we anticipate stiff competition from the former manufacturers of American self driven cars as well as the Germans and the Japanese, but they'll be using the Computrans road guides and code. These have been patented, as well as the software which runs the Municipal and Natrans computers. This assures a constant in computer codes and usage throughout the country. In addition, and we believe that this is the most unique and useful feature of all, each Computrans vehicle is equipped with a flexible cable at the front and rear. These cables fit into magnetic locks on all other cars. A gentle bump to front or back will attach these cables. A simple command given through the car's terminal will release any car from a convoy at any time. This means that families can travel together. Wedding and funeral processions can be arranged with little or no fuss. Tours of cities can be taken, while leaving the tourist free to leave and rejoin the tour at will. Those who leave the tour can not get lost. A simple inquiry made through the computer by the tour guide will give the location of the tourist's car. The tourist can inquire as to the location of the tour, and the computer will route the car to join with them."

"We're working on designing larger vehicles for transporting freight. We anticipate that because of the computerized transport, more people will choose to freight their merchandise than fly it. With the ability to travel in convoy, two, three or more freight vehicles could be hooked together in order to transport more merchandise at a time. This will be somewhat like the old railroad service, but more efficient because the freight vehicles can go whereever other cars go, making deliveries much easier. This will also allow for more jobs. Why jobs? We do not advocate automatic freight vehicles. We firmly believe that *all* vehicles should be manned. This prevents the occasional snarl up of traffic should a breakdown in computer or vehicle occur. It also allows more people to work. One could be a paraplegic or totally blind, and run a freight vehicle. Imagine what this will do for our overburdened welfare and social security system."

"We're also designing school buses for younger school children." She smiled as she looked down at her daughter and continued, "A word here about green licenses. These are available to children aged ten to sixteen, persons with mental disabilities, the developmentally disabled and some senior citizens. All green licensees are listed with Computrans, and they are all under the same restrictions as is my daughter. Their cars can even be programmed to go to only one place and return to the original destination."

"All other drivers have gold licenses. When you buy your vehicle from us, simply turn in your existing license, and your gold license, complete with photo ID will be sent to you. These licenses allow the holder to drive to whereever she or he wants to go. No record of trips made by gold licensees is kept by the computer at Computrans. Many people will want to keep some trips private and others not. This can be done simply by informing your car's computer. Only the individual car's computer keeps a running log. This log can only be accessed by the owner of the car, by the use of a voice print identification, as well as a password. That way, there is no means by which a thief can find out if someone is home or not, or if they will be away for any length of time. In addition, each destination on a city map is given its own code number which is the same as its phone number and can be unlisted if the customer desires. That way, each customer is assured of maximum security protection."

"the cost of Computrans vehicles is much lower than for that of a self driving car. the motors are electrical, not gasoline. the bodies and interiors are made of recycled plastic and fiber glass. The recent discovery of large amounts of silicon in the asteroid belt has contributed greatly to the reduction in price."

"We hope that soon everybody will want to go Computrans, not because the law demands it, but because of the added convenience, the reduction in traffic fatalities and the independence it gives those who have been denied it. Thank you." She sat down after handing the mike back to Linda.

Linda continued, "I'd like to introduce Mr. Waverly, our technical engineer. He will explain the actual operation of the vehicles."

"Thank you, Linda, I'd be delighted," said a tall well built man in a gray suit. "My interest in Computrans came from two sources. I drove a disabled colleague to and from work for many years. It was great getting to know Jake Koestler. We're good friends now. I have to tell you that on some days, I wasn't happy about driving Jake. He'd want to go early for a meeting, or he'd ask me to go on errands. I couldn't call my life my own." He laughed to take the sting from his words. "Jake knew how I felt," he continued, "Because he felt the same way. I'd have to go to meetings, or go on a Honey-do run. Now, we are looking forward to going to work in convoy. We've tried it for the past six months. We love it! Some days we'll go separately, but Jake claims if he doesn't call for me, I'll get to work late."

There was general laughter, and Waverly smiled as he continued. "Well, my other lead-in to this is that I'm an electrical engineer. Jake joined Computrans as an accountant, and when they wanted to hire someone with my qualifications, I applied for the job."

"Now, I come to the real reason for my speech. I'm here to tell you how Computrans is run. First of all, each city or municipality in the U.S. now has a computrans station. Each station has two interconnected computers. The first is the one which controls the movement of vehicles within the municipal boundaries. The second is the Natrans computer. This machine is in constant contact, via satellite, with all other Natrans computers. These computers handle traffic outside the limits of a given municipality. When a car leaves the D.C. area, for example, the D.C. Natrans computer takes control of the program transferring it to the next town's computer in the direction the vehicle is going. If there is a long stretch of interstate highway to be travelled, the Natrans computers have charge of the vehicle until the traveller's programmed exit is reached. Then, the program is given to the local computer. All vehicles can be reprogrammed in transit so that if a patron sees a sign for a restaurant or lay-by and wishes to stop, the computer can route the car to the stop without damaging the original programmed trip. In fact, all restaurants and charging stations are announced by the computer and patrons are able to choose the stop option by hitting a single button on the keyboard."

"But how does all this work, you ask? Well, vehicles are fitted with a sophisticated GPS (global Positioning System). By means of a satelite hookup, a car's position on a roadway can be computed to within two feet. Information from the vehicle, position, milage, speed, etc is relayed through the car's computer to the natrans or the local computer, depending on which one is in control at the moment. These computers have maps of their areas installed. These maps are updated on a monthly basis. Most intersections will have sensors placed just under the pavement to act as additional positioning guides. The computer in control of the vehicle is then able to measure the distance traveled by the vehicle. It is this measuring ability which enables a vehicle to exit, turn accurately and stop for red lights. For example, the computer knows exactly how many feet it is from the corner of your street to your driveway. Therefore, every time your vehicle turns onto your street, it goes that number of feet and then turns into your driveway. This measuring ability is the reason there are no accidents when cars are using computrans roads. Each car's position is tracked by the master computer. Its distance from cars on either side and from back to front is also measured. Electronic eyes in the front of each vehicle are programmed to send immediate stop commands to cars up and down the road should an obstacle be sensed. Please observe the following."

The lights were dimmed and a screen was lowered from the ceiling. Mr. Waverly showed a video tape of objects being placed in front of the computerized cars. They all stopped in time. A child of three walked out into the street without being harmed. There were murmurs of approval from the seated audience.

"The system is foolproof. But what about electrical failures, storms and snow on the roads you ask?" said Mr. Waverly, continuing. "Each station has its own generator. Should there be a power failure, the vehicles would stop. Within a minute, the power would be restored."

He smiled. "In addition, breakdowns of a single car need not tie up traffic. Our cars have electric engines which are non-poluting and are also simple in design, eliminating many causes for breakdowns. If a car looses power, a signal goes out to the computer and the occupants in the neighboring cars are asked to drive in convoy to the next charging station. There is no danger of criminal activity during this procedure. Why, because every breakdown is immediately reported to the police. The computer has the individualized code for each car, and a convoy link is made without anyone getting out of their vehicle. A robbery or molestation can not occur when both vehicles are travelling at speed. Besides, convoys of this kind are specially tagged by the Computrans computer and have the status of cars driven by green licensees. When the damaged car reaches a recharging station, the other cars are rerouted to their original destinations."

"If an occupant of a neighboring car doesn't wish to assist a broken down car, that car is placed in the next lane of traffic and the next car in line is asked to help. This makes it possible for those who are on a tight time schedule to meet their obligations without being delayed by assisting a broken down car. If the request for help is refused five times, a request is sent out to the police. The traffic lane is stalled until the police car can get to the car in need of help. Obviously, a yes, to the question of will you help a neighboring car will free up traffic faster."

"When a broken down car is put on a charger, the car should be ready to roll in thirty minutes. If the problem is more serious, then a call is put out to the nearest repair garage and a service truck is dispatched. If the driver of the broken down car is a member of AAA, he is not charged for the towing. When she or he reaches the garage, a call can be made to the local Computrans depot and a rental vehicle will be dispatched."

"Finally, a word about space for parking. All parking lots are now being fitted with recharging parking places. These are most useful for parking lots in front of industries, schools and office buildings. In these type of lots, a person has a reserved spot. For pennies a day, he or she can plug a vehicle in a charger and leave it all day to recharge its batteries. Additionally, we are planning to install recharging stations at the lay-bys on the interstate highways. With our vehicles, a thirty minute charge up time is all that is needed in order to allow the battery to give enough juice so that the alternator will do its job as the car moves."

"Ladies and gentlemen, these are the technical aspects, the hows and whys for Computrans, but there is nothing that can be said when the eyes of a friend light up with joy. I am proud to have contributed to the happiness of so many people. Thank you."

There was loud applause. Linda sighed and relaxed in her seat. There were more speeches followed by applause. When they were over, the President turned to the wall behind him. While tv cameras whirred, and newspaper reporters typed furiously on their palmtops, he activated a CRT. The screen read:
CoMPUTRANS COMPUTER READY.

The President typed Go, and pressed the Return Key. The screen responded:
WELCOME TO A NEW AGE. COMPUTRANS COMPUTERS ARE ACTIVATED.

The same message was spoken by a synthesized voice, while next to the CRT a braille terminal clicked on with the same message. Everyone cheered. Waiters passed glasses of champagne and a toast was drunk. After the toast, the room emptied quickly as the throng rushed to their new vehicles.

Marcia waved to friends as she rolled toward the cloak room. She retrieved her coat and was helped into it by the attendant. Marcia thanked her and rolled to the ramp garage. Once there, she typed a command on the chair's computer. As she moved to her blue and white van, the door opened and the lift came down. She rolled onto it and was lifted into the van. When she rolled to her place in front of the van's control board, she plugged the chair's computer into the van and typed, The Red Lion--232-5502 followed by the Return Key. The CRT responded with:

• THE RED LION, TAVERN
• TELEPHONE: 232-5502
• ADDRESS: 234 J. STREET, NW. WASHINGTON, E.C.
• OPEN TILL 02:00:00 HOURS
• CURRENT TIME: 23:30:05
• ACCESSIBLE: YES
• HANDICAPPED SPACES: YES
• ETA: 15 MINUTES
• PLEASE PRESS "RETURN" TO START PROGRAM