New Delhi:Pod taxi, also called Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), is a kind of public transport that uses electric pod cars to provide a taxi-like shuttle services for 4-5 travellers and is environmentally friendly.
This might soon be a reality in Delhi-NCR as a high-level panel has recommended inviting fresh bids for the project conforming to the strictest safety standards on the lines of those prescribed by an American body.
Estimated to cost Rs 4,000 crore, it is a dream project of Transport Minister NitinGadkari, who has asked the NHAI to design, build, finance, operate and transfer on a PPP basis. It is meant for a 12.3-km stretch from Delhi-Haryana border on NH-8 (near Ambience Mall) to Badshahpur via Rajiv Chowk, IFFCO and Sohna Road.
The ambitious project has been plagued by delays as government think-tank NitiAayog raised some red flags, asking the highways ministry to direct initial bidders to prepare a 1-km pilot stretch as all the technologies were unproved.
Subsequent delays were caused due to formation of the high-powered committee to lay down safety and other specifications.
What are Pod Taxis?
Personal rapid transit (PRT), also known as pod cars or pod taxis, is a public transport system developed for travelling swiftly in congested areas. They operate much like the traditional rail and streetcar network and are built above busy roads and highways.
They are automated driverless vehicles and can carry four to six people in at a time which are environment-friendly and can be run on solar power and other renewable power. According to one estimate, a solar powered pod taxi could cost one-tenth of an ordinary running car.
The first pod taxis were run at West Virginia University (WVU) in the 1970s. The other cities where pod-taxis are currently operating are Masdar City, Abu Dhabi running on CyberCab system known as METRINO and London's Heathrow airport. It covers a distance of 3.8 km operational since 2011. The average speed of pods is 60 km per hour.
Safety Standards To Be Followed
The automated people mover (APM) standards in the US as recommended by the committee for the maiden PRT in India have been prepared by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and these constitute the minimum requirements for an acceptable level of safety and performance for the PRT.
“The APM standards include minimum requirements for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the various sub-systems of an APM system and are in general relevant for a PRT,” the committee said.
These include vehicle arrival audio and video visual warning system, platform sloping, evacuation of misalighted vehicles, surveillance/CCTV, audio communication, emergency call points and fire protection, among other advanced systems, it added.
Earlier, three global companies, including New Zealand’s Metrino Personal Rapid Transit that later called off its joint venture with Indian partner Gawar construction, were picked during initial bids for the project.
References
www.thehindu.com
www.news18.com