Greetings! I have been a big proponent of ride-sharing and moving away from the "personal" part of personal rapid transit. Corona Virus-induced social distancing now puts the emphasis back on "personal". PRT has the huge advantage over conventional modes in that few, if any, of the operators need be exposed to passengers. It also has the advantage that, even if designed for ride-sharing, it can operate in a way that restricts each vehicle to a party already traveling together. This will be less cost-effective than ride-sharing but should still be more cost-effective than conventional transit. Vehicles can be frequently disinfected and can be fitted with sanitizing wipe dispensers so passengers can help keep them sanitized.
Elevated PRT is already resilient to flooding. Now it turns out PRT is also resilient to pandemics. It seems the only real weakness PRT has is that transportation planners just do not understand it as evidenced by many flawed studies and the latest technology rankings in the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s Transit Corridor Alternatives Analysis.
As always, enjoy reading!
Best regards,
Peter Muller, ATRA President
