In theory, competition among ride-hailing companies should be a good thing, providing more options for consumers. In practice, having too many ride-hailing vehicles adds to urban congestion. How can cities balance these factors?

A new study co-authored by MIT researchers, in collaboration with the Institute for Informatics and Telematics of the National Research Council of Italy, provides a model that shows the extent to which ride-sharing competition clogs the streets—allowing analysts and policymakers to estimate how many vehicles and firms might form an optimally-sized market in a given metro area.

“What this shows is that by not coordinating ride-hailing companies, we are creating a huge amount of additional traffic,” says Carlo Ratti, a professor in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) and co-author of a new paper detailing the study’s results. “If cities were to use a platform to coordinate ride-hailing, we could reduce overall congestion and traffic in cities all over the world.”

It will be a webcast live next month.

On April 25, two pilots, Luke Aikins and Andy Farrington will jump out of their single-seater aircraft and attempt to switch planes as they plummet towards the Earth, energy drink company, Red Bull has announced on its website.

Red Bull is no stranger to such daring attempts. Rather the company prides itself in supporting adventurers who want to achieve extraordinary feats. Whether it is flying planes inside tunnels or jumping in and out of a volcano with nothing but a wingsuit, Red Bull is at forefront of supporting these daredevils and next month is no different. April 25, two pilots will jump out of their single-seater aircraft and attempt to switch planes as they plummet towards the Earth.