A business plan for a personal rapid transit project should address issues, such as projected capital and operating costs, revenue projections, funding sources, break even analysis, return on investment and overall financial viability. The PRT revenue projections will be heavily dependent on the projected ridership and the relationship (elasticity) between ridership and fare rates.
The personal rapid transit implementation plan should lay out the steps to be taken to implement the project. It should spell out who is responsible to do what by when. It may be folded into the Personal Rapid Transit Business Plan.
It is recommended that permitting requirements be investigated fairly early in the personal rapid transit project. They can vary quite dramatically from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and can have a significant impact on costs and schedules. If federal funding is involved, permitting is likely to include meeting the requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The most common procurement method for automated [guideway] transit systems is design/build/operate/maintain (DBOM) with options relating to things like financing and ownership. The complete range of possible procurement methods runs from an owner providing right-of-way and a license, to a vendor who takes complete responsibility for financing, constructing and operating his system, to an owner planning, designing, developing, manufacturing, building and operating his own system.
The risks and rewards vary greatly, with DBOM being the method that most owners feel balances them best.
