London’s Heathrow airport is gearing up for the unveiling of what could be the answer to cities around the globe problem with traffic congestion and the accompanying environmental concerns. Once construction is completed on the airport’s new terminal, a network of 18 driverless pods will ferry people between the car park and the terminal. While personal rapid transport (PRT) systems have been discussed for ages, Heathrow will be the first to publicly test the system.

The Guardian explains how PRT sets itself apart from other mass transit systems:

PRT is not just a very short bus or train. For starters, there is no timetable. Instead, visitors to a PRT network should find pods waiting for them, making it more like a taxi rank than a bus stop. According to Advanced Transport Systems, the Bristol-based company behind Ultra, the maximum waiting time at a terminal will be just 12 seconds. The second difference is that there are no stops: the pod will not pick up further passengers along the way, and there are no traffic lights to contend with. Finally, the pod is as private as a taxi, so you are always guaranteed a seat, even in peak hours.

Once inside the pod you pick your destination and travel at about 20mph. On alighting, the pod waits for the next fare or is automatically rerouted to where there is most demand. As Russell Goodway, the former lord mayor of Cardiff once put it, PRT is “public transport that is waiting for you, rather than you waiting for it”.

When compared to cars, each pod will use just a quarter of the energy per passenger mile, but there are sill prospects of powering them from completely renewable energy sources.

And while the potential for developing a comprehensive network of guideways throughout a city is most likely unfeasible (costing between £3m-£5m per mile), the privacy aspect has a particular resonance for regions where people have grown up weaned on personal automobiles and are already accustomed to traveling in private - a western luxury that’s not likely to change any time soon.

The Guardian: Welcome to the transport of tomorrow