Ahead of polls, Hooda govt seeks to revive pod taxi service

July 10, 2014

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Written by Sandali Tiwari | New Delhi |

The proposed fare for the service would be about Rs 6 per km, which is half the fare of local taxis and less than the fare charged by auto-rickshaws.

SUMMARY

Pod taxi is a public transport featuring small automated vehicles operating along a network of guideways.

The Haryana government is seeking to revive a plan to start a hi-tech pod taxi service to end harassment of commuters at the hands of errant auto-rickshaw drivers.

The move comes four years after Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda first launched the plan in 2010 and just two months before the city and rest of the state get ready for Assembly elections to elect a new government.

“The chief minister has asked the commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) to revive the plan after looking at a previous report listing the hindrances in the way of the project,” an MCG official said.

According to the official, that report was submitted at least three years ago. “A lot has changed since then. High-rises and several other buildings have come up, changing the ground situation. So, we will be working on the plan afresh to take it forward,” the official said.

Pod taxi, also known as Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) or Personal Automated Transport (PAT), is a mode of public transport featuring small automated vehicles operating along a network of specially built guideways. Promising to take up the project on a priority basis, MCG Commissioner Praveen Kumar said, “If the plan works out, the pod taxi service will offer an environment-friendly transport system in Gurgaon.”

The proposed project would be completed in three phases. The project corridor, with 143 stations en route, would be 105 km long and pass through National Highway-8 and Iffco Chowk. The proposed fare for the service would be about Rs 6 per km, which is half the fare of local taxis and less than the fare charged by auto-rickshaws.

On an average, the PRT can ferry 6.23 lakh passengers daily.

Source- http://indianexpress.com/