J. Edward Anderson
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"The best independent webpage on PRT"
J. Edward Anderson
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faQ About Us faQ Can small PRT pods really be a MASS transit system? faQ Would people be willing to ride around in a closed, computer-controlled car? faQ Wouldn't PRT be scary to ride, like a roller coaster? |
Forget everything you thought Personal Rapid Transit (PRT, also called "podcars") is an inexpensive mass transit technology that borrows the best features of the automobile (on-demand, non-stop travel, from anywhere TO anywhere), but glides above traffic like a monorail. A fleet of small automated vehicles, each seating 3-6 people, will travel on overhead guideways linking many small stations scattered throughout an urban area. All points in a designated PRT service area would be close to a PRT station. By being fast and convenient, PRT stands the best chance of reducing traffic congestion — especially in low to medium density U.S. cities, where buses and train systems tend to leave a lot to be desired. Cost Advantage The main difference between PRT and other forms of transit is that trains and buses are what you use if you want scheduled service -- whereas when you want transit on-demand, in the future you may be able to choose PRT. Small vehicles are sufficient for on-demand transit in the same way that small on-demand elevators are adequate in skyscrapers -- elevators would have to be very large if they ran on schedules. Because small vehicles are lightweight and cheaper, so too is the guideway (rail) they run on. They are also less intensively engineered than conventional railbeds, elevated rails or monorail beams, meaning quicker, cheaper construction (chart). This leads to a cost advantage under which PRT could be dramatically cheaper to build on a per-mile basis. Therefore more miles of PRT guideway could be built, reaching more places. |
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faQ Why a grid? What's wrong with train routes? What about economic development? faQ Where will we find room for all the stations? Won't they be expensive? |
The small PRT stations would be located anywhere transit service is needed, ideally 4-6 per square mile; thus, all destinations are within ¼-mile (440 yards/402 meters) of a station. Guideway connects all stations, and all stations are off-line, meaning pods pull onto a siding to board/unboard passengers at a station; pods with other destinations pass right on by. Off-line stations make it possible for a PRT vehicle to travel non-stop between any pair of stations. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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faQ Doesn't PRT just duplicate the road system? faQ If PRT is Personal, how much will buying a pod cost me? faQ How can PRT replace cars if the rail doesn't go to your house? faQ Sounds like chaos-- won't all those little cars run into each other? faQ What about big buildings and stadium crowds? |
Green Transit Personal Rapid Transit is inherently more energy-efficient than automobiles and conventional transit. The key to PRT's lower energy usage is its small size (translating into light weight), non-stop service (eliminating most energy-wasting starting and stopping), and on-demand service (PRT vehicles don't move until needed). The table shows how PRT measures up (other data is from the USDOE "Transportation Energy Databook," 24th Ed., Ch. 2, p.13) → PRT can also be deployed around train stations to extend the reach and efficiency of light rail and commuter rail. Podcar collector-distributors acting as tendrils of the preexisting rail system could mean fewer people driving to access transit, more rail ridership, and therefore decreases in per-passenger energy used. The nearest PRT station is no further than ¼-mile away, so you can easily walk or bike there. You take stairs or elevator to the platform above street level; if the station is in a large building, it's on the second floor. You buy your ticket from an ATM-type machine (or use a smart card), keying in your destination or selecting from an onscreen listing. The system programs the vehicle with your trip information. Moving to the boarding turnstile, a vehicle is either waiting (empty pods would wait at stations until needed) or will arrive shortly, summoned when you bought the ticket. You board, the door closes, and you push a button to signal you're ready to go. And then you're off, to the chosen destination. The non-stop PRT trip is faster than driving. After you arrive, the pod immediately becomes available to the next rider. |
World Wildlife Fund "Skycab" video
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faQ Can a person in a wheelchair use PRT? faQ What if the first vehicle has litter, or smells, or has been vandalized? What about Comfort? faQ Do I have to share the pod? faQ Doesn't PRT discourage social or civic interaction? faQ Isn't it unsafe? Couldn't a criminal jump in with me? faQ Isn't fixed rail less flexible? Wouldn't improving bus service be better? |
"When can I ride a PRT?" Exciting things are happening. Construction of the first modern PRT system ("ULTra") has been completed at London's Heathrow Airport and should soon begin operations. Close behind is Masdar, the world's first "green city," building the first phase of what will eventually be a city-wide, 6 sq. km. PRT network. South Korean steelmaker POSCO has developed and tested the "Vectus" PRT system which has been certified by Sweden/EU, and sophisticated new concepts are being developed in Poland, California and Minnesota. The Swedish government is planning to use PRT to complement its national rail system, and San Jose has started planning an "automated transit network" for Mineta Airport. Today's leading PRT designs utilize a combination of commonplace, straightforward engineering, and off-the-shelf components. It is only a matter of time until it will be proven to the satisfaction of U.S. decisionmakers who are intrigued by PRT, but can't justify a project until one of the new systems can show a successful operating record. |
Reducing car use: The size of the problem
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So get on board! Check out PRT, and urge your friends, media, transit officials and elected leaders to do the same. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Resources & Links | |||
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Systems
Projects
Basics
Details
Related
Myths
Surveys
The Anderson Collection History Activism Other | |||
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PRT Systems |
PRT Quicklinks @Innovative Transportation Technologies (washington.edu) ULTra,
ATS Ltd. A PRT system approved by the UK gov't, promoted by the EU, and about to debut at
Heathrow Airport.
2getthere, providing PRT peoplemovers for the Masdar carbon neutral, car-free city.
Vectus, POSCO Steel, S. Korea. A PRT program
testing in Sweden; has received regulatory approval.
Skyweb Express,
Taxi 2000 Corp. An American PRT company based in Minnesota.
Other PRT programs, news & intel Skycab Sweden
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PRT Projects |
Heathrow Airport T5, London UK
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Papers &
Exhibits: |
A New Transportation Paradigm by A. Sheffer Lang "This is not what I ordered": Why trains don't relieve traffic congestion, Parts I and II. Understanding modes of transportation as
competing consumer products. Debbie Cook & Ron Swenson: "PodCars and Climate Change" (p. 5) Building a Case For a New Transportation System, a Whole Systems approach. Sept. 2001, U.S. EPA Region X Personalizing Public Transportation The Futurist Vol. 24 Nov-Dec 1990 "The Future of High Capacity PRT" by J.E. Anderson (Word) Local Transport Using Self-Guided Vehicles (Car Free Times #33) "Vision Quest" by Glenn Pascall The gist: For the LRT-monorail-highway camps, getting their technology of choice is more important than doing anything about the actual traffic-transit problem. Rail Riders' Dirty Little Secret How many
L.A. train commuters work around the inflexibility of rail. PRT handles the same volume as a freeway animated GIF Billions Served: McDonald's & service delivery |
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Papers &
Exhibits: |
Why PRT is Less Expensive-
Calculating the capacity of PRT PRT loops are uni-directional; Why PRT is faster than driving in congestion A paper on PRT control systems Detailed cost estimates for a Taxi 2000 system proposed for Cincinnati. State of Minnesota validates PRT concept, technical feasibility Exercise: Costing a Seattle system How PRT low cost & high ridership are derived Service Effectiveness of PRT vs. Collective-Corridor Transport Journal of Advanced Transportation 37:3 |
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Papers &
Exhibits: |
Transit Oriented Development, Land Use & Transit Modes PRT as corporate campus shuttle
"Megaprojects and Risk", Bent Flyvbjerg, PhD | ||
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Papers &
Exhibits: |
PRTJJ v.1 (2005) Regarding claims by "LightRailNow.org"—here are the rebuttals:
The "See How They Distort" Library
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Program,
Papers & Exhibits: |
Innovative Transit Systems: survey of current developments Swedish Agency For Innovation (requires Adobe Acrobat). See page 11 (13 of 56) and page 17 (19 of 56) Personal Rapid Transit: A Potential New Urban Transport Solution, European Union, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies SeaTac PRT Major Investment Study, 1997. The first MIS ever performed for an application of a PRT technology anywhere in the world. Alternative
PRT Systems for Kungens Kurva (EDICT
study city Huddinge, Sweden)
Status and Potential of Personal Rapid Transit (2003), Advanced Transit Assn. Personal Rapid Transit in Stockholm- Market demand and Economic Appraisal Dept. of Technology & Society, Lund University, Sweden PRT: a suitable transport system for urban areas in Sweden? (1998). Rarely-scene illustrations & photos starting p. 50 Telektronikk 1.2003 papers on ITS and PRT by Telenor Group R&D division PRT & Telenor Involvement (Norway telcom company), 2003 Moving Ahead with PRT (EU 5th Framework) CityMobil (EU 6th Framework) APGM Feasibility Study (Finland) "The Future of High Capacity PRT" by J.E. Anderson (2006, Word) Feasibility Study for Santa Cruz, CA (2007, pdf) Viability of PRT in Virginia (pdf, 2008) | 
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The J. Edward |
The following are Zip compressed archives:
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PRT History |
Automated Guideway Transit: an assessment of PRT and other systems U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment (Complete; 1975) Fundamentals of Personal Rapid Transit by Jack Irving (1978, full book) A 1999 Minneapolis Star Tribune column about Taxi 2000 and makes the case for PRT The Raytheon Legacy (1990s)
Reinventing The Wheel by Eric Scigliano Still in a
Class of Its Own Morgantown, WV (1970s-Present) Cabinentaxi (Germany, 1970s-80s) Skyloop A committee advocating Taxi 2000 in
Cincinnati.
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PRT Activism |
Get There Fast Seattle-area PRT activists Airfront.21 (Trans.21) Seattle PRT discussion group at Yahoo! Groups
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