November 2018
From the President
Greetings! I am in the middle of a lot of traveling to do with PRT. Two overseas trips related to a large PRT project and then a trip for me and my wife to China (sponsored by ATRA member TubeNet Transit) over Christmas to present at a conference near Shanghai. Exciting times! I hope to soon be in a position to tell you more. For now, let's just say that the US and Europe are being left in the dust with respect to large PRT deployments. (Hint: There is much more going on in this industry than is being published).

William Alden died last week at the age of 92. He was the original inventor behind the Morgantown PRT system. I had the honor of dining with him and learning a lot from him one evening during an ATRA conference in Morgantown years ago. More recently, he was attempting to work with Boston Logan Airport on a driverless shuttle serving parking facilities. He will be missed. In my opinion ATRA and PRT proponents made a huge mistake whenever they tried to separate PRT from the Morgantown system. Even though it was really GRT and had significant teething problems, it has done an exemplary job of proving PRT operational and safety capabilities. It is still the largest "PRT" system in the world.
As always, enjoy reading!

Best regards,
Peter Muller, ATRA President
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ATRA News
Solar-Powered Automated Transit – Its Time is NOW !
On September 10, 2018, California governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 100, a landmark piece of legislation that requires all of the state’s electricity to come from carbon-free sources by 20451. While
this ambitious goal will significantly reduce the state’s contribution of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,because 56% of the state’s power currently comes from non-renewable sources, it still leaves the largest source of GHG emissions in the state, that due to transportation, essentially unaffected...
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History of the Advanced Transit Association (ATRA) Year by Year (20)
by J. Edward Anderson, first ATRA President.

1995 – The Twentieth Year.

Other News
William L. Alden
Entrepreneur William Lewis Alden, an early proponent and creator of autonomous personal rapid transit systems, died November 16 at his home in Falmouth. He was 92. (Alden pictured at right)

Pod car dreams: The new-age commuting plan for Thane city 
Thane: Circa 2025. Ghodbunder resident Prasad Mhatre alights at Thane station, walks up the stairs to the waiting driverless 
pod car that ferries him and four other like him on to the platform of the metro station at theTeen Haath Naka just in time for the Kasarvadavli-bound metro. 

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.

Muji just designed an autonomous shuttle bus
Muji—the Japanese lifestyle brand known for satisfyingly minimalist, affordable, and functional products—is now a self-driving car designer. Created in collaboration with the Finnish autonomous vehicle company Sensible 4, the Gacha is an all-weather shuttle bus purpose-designed for arctic weather. The first fleet of Gacha buses is expected to be produced by 2020 and the companies think the autonomous vehicles could be used in public in Finland by 2021.

Leominster firm looks to get monorail on track
LEOMINSTER -- About a dozen people stood gathered on the drafty second floor of a Lancaster Street warehouse Monday afternoon.

They had come from cities throughout the United States and from countries overseas. In front of them stood a track suspended 10 feet above the ground, one end of it shrouded by a set of black curtains.

Downtown Ithaca Alliance gets to work on 2030 Comprehensive Plan
At a meeting of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, work began to start looking to the future, or for the most part, 12 years down the line. The group is starting to gather ideas as well as some feedback on things that should be amended and added to the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. Many people gathered to not only share ideas of what they believe can improve Downtown Ithaca, but also some of the things that can make Downtown a hub of both industry and community entertainment.

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Editorial comments are in italics.
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