Mira-Bhayandar: ‘The elevated pod-car transport service will play a crucial role in the future to solve the grappling issue of traffic congestion in the rapidly urbanising cities,” said local Shiv Sena legislator and transport minister Pratap Sarnaik while speaking during his visit to review the progress of the world’s first commercially ready suspended pod-car system in Vadodara.
An “Automated Pod-Car Advanced System” is being developed on a pilot basis in the Special Economic Zone in Vadodara under the ambitious “Make in India” initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Based on the Futran system by Nutran EV Mobility the elevated pod cars are a next-generation urban transportation system. Automated pod-cars are connected to elevated tracks, which are deployed on the existing road network without hampering vehicular movement.
Emphasising the need of introduce new modes of transportation aimed at decongesting traffic on urban roads in densely populated areas by using minimal space on roads, Sarnaik further said since pod cars are an eco-friendly public transport solution to urban mobility and connectivity through automated design, he was keen in launching elevated pod-car transport system as a pilot project in Mira-Bhayandar and based on the performance roll these services in other cities across the state.
At least 20 commuters can be accommodated in a pod-car that travels at a speed of 60 to 70 km per hour on the virtue of onboard electric motors and battery systems. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has established a dedicated committee that focuses on developing and recommending standards and specifications for the country’s personal rapid transport (PRT) which are also known as pod-cars or pod-taxis. The PRT project is being implemented in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) under the aegis of National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML).
