Daily traffic snarls, expelling pollution is a daily show we witness on city streets. But, despite the sheer volume of private vehicles on the road, many people are still left waiting on sidewalks and flagging down cabs. Effective public transportation systems are the key to addressing the situation and this is where ATS ULTra enters the picture.
A form of the personal rapid transit system, ULTra is now plying the streets of London. Conceived by Martin Lowson, the project sees the rubber wheeled pods running on guide ways which consist of concrete barriers. An internal map also guides the pods on their routes so there’s no need to switch between pods.
ULTra has been found to be significantly more economical than conventional public transport systems like underground metros. ULTra, costs just about five million pounds per kilometer of track. In modern context the difference is wide, making the futuristic pod system more feasible.
ULTra runs on batteries, which means there’s no need to electrify tracks. The system is recharged at the station itself. Each pod can seat four adults and bear a 500 kg payload. This is enough to accommodate wheelchairs, luggage and shopping trolleys. A battery pack of 2kW of power adds about eight percent of weight to the pod.
Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow Airport is effectively making use of ULTra, which serves about 2.4 miles of distance. The track extends to the business passenger car park and the service, which uses only half as much energy, has replaced the bus service used in the past.
Via: Behance
