December 2018
From the President
Greetings! Looking back on 2018, it has been a very interesting year for me with lots of ups and downs with regards to personal rapid transit and ATN systems in general. The ups definitely outweigh the downs. Perhaps the most exciting finding is that there are lots more things happening in this industry than I know about and I know lots that I cannot share with you yet. I can’t wait for 2019 and for some significant developments to start coming to light.

Happy Holidays to you and yours, may the New Year bring lots of exciting developments to your lives.
As always, enjoy reading!

Best regards,
Peter Muller, ATRA President
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ATRA News
History of the Advanced Transit Association (ATRA) Year by Year (21)
by J. Edward Anderson, first ATRA President.

1996 – The Twenty-first Year.

Other News
Oceaneering’s trackless vehicles become self-driving as well
Out in the non-attractions world, Google and others are working to perfect the first self-driving car. Meanwhile, Oceaneering Entertainment Systems appears to have quietly mastered the challenge – illustrating that the attractions industry continues to be a great creative and tech incubator.

PRODUCTION AGREEMENT
2getthere and Altran, the global leader in engineering and R&D services, announced a production agreement as a new phase in their strategic partnership. Altran will play a key role in the series production of 2getthere’s GRT (Group Rapid Transit) autonomous shuttles, with the production and assembly of the first series (30) GRT vehicles at its automotive expertise center in Helmond (Netherlands). The first batch of first vehicles will be delivered in 2019.

Driverless vehicles to make Providence debut this spring
PROVIDENCE — Driverless buses are set to hit Providence streets next spring offering free rides between downtown Providence and the Olneyville Square area.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation Monday announced it has chosen Michigan-based May Mobility’s self-driving bus plan over three competing proposals — including a flying pod concept — to run a one-year autonomous vehicle pilot program.

The Future of Transit – PRT vs Maglev
The Baylink connector is important because it connects Miami’s vibrant downtown with our number one tourist attraction—South Beach. Baylink requires some elevated spans because it crosses the bay and was always conceived as an elevated system on rail. As a former Baylink Executive Committee member, I convened sunshine meetings in March to present Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) as an innovative solution for the Baylink.

Government shelves pod taxi project for elevated corridor in city
BENGALURU: The state government has shelved the much-hyped Personal Rapid Transit System (PRTS) — ‘pod taxis’ — to allow the controversial elevated corridor in the city, which has been opposed by citizen groups.


My sources indicate this story is incorrect.
Will Pod Taxis Solve India’s Traffic Problem?
As big city traffic in India grows by the day, our policy makers grapple with ideas to manage it better. Some ideas proposed are small, some are large-scale.

One of the more big-ticket ideas proposed is the pod taxi.

The pod taxi is cool, and having it in our cities would really pump up the coolness quotient. But how successful would the technology be in actually combating traffic. Well...

Toronto Zoo ‘maglev’ train floats closer to reality as board approves proposal
Toronto Zoo directors are on board with a proposal to magnetically float visitors between animal exhibits.

The board of the city-owned zoo voted unanimously Thursday to signal its willingness to host a magnetic levitation “people mover” system if Edmonton-based Magnovate Technologies can get the proposal off the ground.

Ghana to consider ‘Transit X’ for public transit
Transit X a privately-funded shared mobility network with the convenience, capacity, and cost to replace buses, trains, cars, trucks, and short flights is set to improve the country’s transportation.

Toronto zoo board considering company’s pitch to build ‘maglev’ floating train
Toronto Zoo’s defunct passenger-bashing monorail could whir back to life as a high-tech “people mover” with visitors peering at animals while magnetically levitating over the old track.

The Toronto Zoo could be getting a 'magnetic levitation' monorail
There could be a new way to take in the sights at the Toronto Zoo and it involves a high-tech magnetic levitating monorail. And yes, it’s definitely as awesome as it sounds.

Pod Save… the World?
"This is the silver bullet. This is the silver bullet for not just transportation, but for happiness. This is the happiness pill."

On a cloudy November afternoon, I meet Mike D. Stanley at the unassuming CubeSmart Self Storage in Brighton. While the setting is more suited to college students boxing up their belongings, I’m here to take a seat in the pod of the future. Stanley is the CEO of Transit X, a Boston-based start-up that aims to someday replace almost all road vehicles — including cars — with public pod transit.

The above links are to articles that appear relevant to advanced transit but no guarantee is made as to their accuracy and no verification of the integrity of the associated websites has been made.

Editorial comments are in italics.
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