An example of a pod taxi in use at Heathrow Airport, London
The much-awaited India’s first pod taxi project has moved a step closer to reality after a high-level panel recommended inviting fresh bids for the same; conforming to the strictest safety standards on the lines of those prescribed by an American body.
The projected Rs4,000 crore pod taxi scheme—also known as personal rapid transit (PRT)—is a dream project of road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been mandated to execute it on the Delhi-Gurgaon pilot corridor (12.30km) from Delhi-Haryana border to Rajiv Chowk in Gurgaon on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
PRT is an advanced public transport using automated electric pod cars to provide a taxi-like demand responsive feeder and shuttle services for small groups of travellers. The committee in its report, a copy of which is with PTI, also recommended framing of a request for quotation (RFQ) based on discussions with interested players and stressed the need for evaluation, based on performance in the test sections.