14.9.10

Ride pods in Gurgaon




Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has a hightech solution that will address commuters’ problems in one shot: Pod taxis. And he is serious about it. As Gurgaon residents well know, the city roads are an optical illusion. The unbroken chain of craters and ditches that pass for roads have for long burned holes in the pockets and hearts of the residents. But, if Hooda has his way, you could bypass the troublesome roads altogether. “Pod taxis seem to be the best way to take public transport through all the built up areas,’’ Hooda said. The CM believes that these battery-operated, driverless vehicles that run on an elevated track, will begin to ply in the next few years and connect people point to point — what the government claims as “providing last mile connectivity”. Highly placed sources in the Haryana government said the project would be implemented in the public private partnership (PPP) mode, with a total investment of Rs 5,000 crore. The government is looking at introducing about 1,100 pod taxis initially. “We want the pod taxi facility to connect all commercial and residential complexes in the city. Taking public transport to that point is our aim,” said the chief minister. The proposed ticket rate is Rs 10. He added that the government had already completed the detailed project report. “I hope Gurgaon will be the first city in India to get such a facility. It will cover both new and old parts of the city,’’ Hooda said. Officials said the service would offer a solution to Gurgaon’s mobility problem. “You don’t need to depend on rickshaws or taxis to move within the city. This will also be a solution to commuting from Metro stations to the workplace or home,’’ they said. No drivers, no rails, no emissions and no haggling over fares. The future of Gurgaon’s public transport is bubble shaped and it’s called a pod taxi. Designed to work on specialized roads reserved for them, the space age pods are unmanned. And, if Haryana government is to be believed, these lowenergy, no emission vehicles will become Gurgaon’s transport reality in near future. The ride could be smooth for the pod project. Sources close to the project said that it is commercially viable despite being a high capital intensive plan, considering the high demand of intra-city movement within Gurgaon. The taxis, once in place, will also connect to the private Metro plan. One of the major reasons for the government to pick the pod was the minimal requirement of land on surface to construct the elevated structures. It will be completely elevated. We need only 100 sq yard land to build a station. The stations will also have multi-level parking,” said a senior transport department official. The battery operated pods need only 22 mw of electricity for recharging. For commuters, the biggest advantage would be in terms of saving time. These pods will take the shortest route between the boarding point and a particular destination.
POD CAST
Model : Build, operate & transfer
Phase-I (New & Old Gurgaon) : 105 km, 143 stations
Stretch : Ist: 31km
IInd: 74km
Pod density : 30 pods after every kilometre
Land Needed for a station : 100 sq yard
Facility at stations : Multi-level parking
Status : Detailed project report completed
Time needed : 18 months from the day of awarding of the project

3 comments:

Unknown said...

At last we have a green and clean solution to the messy roads and traffic congestion. Wish this was also done for Bangalore which is choked with traffic. We should now stop thinking of flashy cars as a status symbol and use such public transport which will also help the environment. Think green and do your bit.
Sudhir Khanna, Bangalore

SPX India said...

Twenty22-India on the move Your Blog information is so Good...........


http://www.spxindia.org/

Shalini Baveja said...

Impressive! Smart minds and the right use of technology can create many wonders. Pod Project seems to be one such amalgamation of brilliance.