Bengaluru city might soon get Pod Taxis for quicker commute - BBMP Commissioner

The municipal corporation of the city of Bengaluru, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), is now looking at the option of employing a Personal Rapid Transit system (Pod Taxis), which is something the authorities are hopeful will solve most of the traffic woes in the IT capital of India and cater to last-mile connectivity. PRT is a mode of public transport that provides personal, on-demand, and origin-to-destination travel throughout a network of dedicated guide ways.

The Commissioner of the BBMP, Manjunath Prasad, in a chat with Bangalore Mirror said,

This project is being planned for the city, and once implemented, would be completed within six-eight months. This will benefit citizens because we have selected stretches that do not have a proper feeder service. Some companies have shown interest. We want it to be cheaper than an autorickshaw ride. We will call for expressions of interest this week.

As part of this plan, six stretches were identified for implementing the PRT on a phase-basis, with a total stretch of up to 35.5 km. This mode of transport will consist of completely automatic vehicles, which could be cable cars or pod cars, that are comfortable enough to transport small groups of passengers.

These are the six proposed routes according to the BBMP:

Phase 1: MG Road Metro Station to The Leela Palace junction. Distance is four km.

Phase 2: The Leela Palace to Marathahalli junction. Distance is six km.

Phase 3: Marathahalli junction to EPIP, Whitefield. Distance is 6.5 km.

Phase 4: MG Road Metro Station to Koramangala. Distance is seven km.

Phase 5: Jayanagar 4th Block to JP Nagar 6th phase. Distance is 5.3 km.

Phase 6: Sony Junction to Indiranagar Metro Station. Distance is 6.7 km.

These pod taxis come solar-powered, and unlike the metro project, PRT consumes less space, and the construction time is far lower, around six to eight months. The proposed concept is based on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) model, which does not require any kind of public spending.

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