Introduction of the POD Taxi

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has planned to introduce the system of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) to solve the issue of traffic in the city. It has identified six stretches for the implementation of POD (Provided On Demand) taxis, which will cover a distance of 35.5kms.

What are POD taxis?

POD taxis are used as a means of public transport in many of the developed countries like the UK, Abu Dhabi, Netherlands, etc. They are small automated cars that operate on a network of specially built guideways. Since they do not interfere with the road traffic, they ensure nonstop point to point travel and are pollution free vehicles.  

Analysis

The driverless POD taxis to be introduced will use solar energy and have a carriage capacity of 15,000 people per hour. Each car can carry around 6 passengers. This mode of transportation will require less space as air cables and median of the road will be used as guideways. According to BBMP, the construction will take 6- 8 months after approval of the project is received. The fare will be lesser compared to that of a rickshaw or bus. Financial aid to the project will be provided by private contractors through the bidding process.

Assessment

Before Bangalore, there were plans of establishment of pod taxis in Gurgaon. However, it was delayed due to safety issues. The proposed plan in Bangalore is estimated to cost around Rs 50 crore/km which is much cheaper compared to the per kilometer cost of Namma Metro. However, rail can handle more people at a time when compared to POD cars. Being fully automated and environment friendly, POD cars may be a game changing technology in the city. It is a congestion free system without any interference with the road traffic, thereby causing no delay. 

The BBMP should focus of finishing the incomplete metro project in the city, before proceeding to this initiative. POD cars may also have an effect on the employment of the auto and cab drivers. This project is proposed mainly to boost the popularity of the politicians, as elections are coming up in the State next year.