[dailydriver]

Bengaluru is not just the IT capital of India. It is the (traffic) jam capital too. We have seen how the incumbent Government is trying to ease the situation with the help of occasional on-the-paper brainwaves. In the last few months we saw that Bengalureans were opposed to the Steel Flyover and are not very enthusiastic about the proposed tunnel network.

How then could the problems of commuting be solved so as to make travel from point A to B faster? Trust our dedicated Babus to come up with some novel ideas.

BBMP is planning to bring Pod taxis to namma Bengaluru. An excerpt from an article published in Bangalore Mirror.:

The project will cost Rs 50 crore per km... The BBMP is not investing a single pie for the project. The project will be implemented under the design, build, finance, operate and transfer system. Private contractors will be bidding for tenders that will be called for the project.

A few upscale areas in the city have been identified for the project. They are: M G Road metro station to Leela Palace (4 km); The Leela Palace to Marathahalli (6km); Marathahalli junction to EPIP junction (6km), MG Road metros tation to Koramangala (7km), Jayanagar 4th block to J P Nagar 6th phase (5.3km) and Sony junction to Indiranagar metro station (6.7km).

The highlight of the proposed project is that it is supposed to be emission and accident free.

The project will comply with ASTM international F24 technical committee, will be build under solar-powered mobility with people and cargo, won't have any emission, accidents, will be a round the-clock transport system with safety measures such as video-monitoring round the-clock.

“The project will come up on the median of the road and there is no need to acquire any property for the project. It will work as a feeder service for mass transit like Metro and the fare will be cheaper than auto or bus fare.“

IISC is said to have done a feasibility study on this. Will this project succeed or will it be another one of those pipe (or Pod) dreams? Time alone can answer this.

Source

[Mad Max]

Oh Yes! Because the person who stays at Leela will definitely want to travel in that to MG Road.

These guys need to be sued by the entire population of Bangalore for their incompetence and just plain stupidity.

Let's first get the damn Metro working and then talk about other stuff. Disregarding every single common-sense advice / approach that the line between Silk Board and KR Puram would have been the most beneficial, they went ahead with Indiranagar and MG Road line. Great that, until recently, it was used a tourist experience.

I'll hold my breath on the pod taxis. Nope.

[IshaanIan]

Just more ways for politicians and contracters to eat up more money first tell me when the Metro will be fully functional across the city and not just in one line? Hyderabad metro is already taking much bigger strides.

[CarguyNish]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

Oh Yes! Because the person who stays at Leela will definitely want to travel in that to MG Road.

These guys need to be sued by the entire population of Bangalore for their incompetence and just plain stupidity.

Disregarding every single common-sense advice / approach that the line between Silk Board and KR Puram would have been the most beneficial, they went ahead with Indiranagar and MG Road line. Great that, until recently, it was used a tourist experience .

+10, I agree with all the things you have said. They are simply going nowhere with this New Idea (Pod Taxis). When they are taking ages to finish Metro, they think of this. If I consider the area's covered under Metro, it can be best described as stupid thinking. Again, just for the sake of money, they did this in Area's that didn't require them.

They are just spoiling the City's Beauty. In another 10 years, Bangalore will be a hell.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Just more ways for politicians and contracters to eat up more money first tell me when the Metro will be fully functional across the city and not just in one line? Hyderabad metro is already taking much bigger strides.

Ya, definitely. They (Netas & Contractors) are there just for that because they don't have any profession/job to earn the money. It's a given thing, which is just so disappointing for a Civilian.

Hyderabad is taking bigger strides because it is a better state with better leaders. Same can't be said about the guys of Karnataka. Work Progress isn't a priority for Bangalore.

I don't have much confidence in this (Pod Taxi), it might have Failure written all over it, if they don't get it in IT Dominated Areas.

With this Pod Taxi's, the incomplete Metro, living in Bangalore might be as difficult as standing on fire with bare foot.

[GrammarNazi]

Man, 50CR per kilometer! What nonsense! this is just another scheme where half the money for the civil work will eaten up. And it's neither efficient in terms of number of pax nor will the usage cost be low.

We in Bangalore need those battery rickshaws that Delhi-ites have. It'll be a very efficient way to decongest the IT corridors & can act as a self sustaining Metro feeder service too.

Heck, We just need more buses! Even the ordinary ones will do. Having just 11,000 buses, they look crowded 2x beyond capacity. BRTS is a brilliant system (don't listen to those who say it failed in Delhi, that was because it was deliberately implemented in a peculiar way on a particular road, asif designed to fail).

Just 300CR & some basic changes can completely solve this problem within a year. Sadly Govt attitude will be the same no matter whom we vote for.

[srishiva]

They should introduce trains on certain roads like ORR and ban individual private vehicular traffic on those roads. Instead of looking at simple things, they are getting swayed by high tech flashy things.
But then that would also require massive parking structures which people with influence would rather own for commercial buildings. Long time ago when Hosur road was still a two way street and was getting converted to four lanes, most of the land on either side of ORR towards HSR layout was marshy land. Not sure how private buildings have come up on these.

[deepakhon]

This is one of those politicians' fantasies. The grand ideas started with that steel flyover, and then with the tunneled roads. Then comes this grand idea. And that too, at 50 Cr per km. Great!

[pratyush6]

What does a man do when he cannot deliver what he promised and is paid to do? He promises some more and shifts his goal post. Seen everywhere, in all kind of organisations; politicians are absolute masters at it.

Why do we even take cognizance of such fantasies?

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

I'll hold my breath on the pod taxis. Nope.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Just more ways for politicians and contracters to eat up more money

Originally Posted by CarguyNish

In another 10 years, Bangalore will be a hell

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

What nonsense!

Originally Posted by srishiva

Instead of looking at simple things, they are getting swayed by high tech flashy things.

Originally Posted by deepakhon

This is one of those politicians' fantasies.

Originally Posted by pratyush6

Why do we even take cognizance of such fantasies?

Originally Posted by aerohit

Its about time India discard the chaotic system of democracy through a revolution and adapt strict top-down Chinese system.

So much negativity and not even an iota of support for this grandiose scheme!

Given our past experiences with Government bodies and civic agencies, skepticism is a given. Delays, inefficiencies, half baked projects, public criticisms are all part of a democratic set up. What distinguishes a successful one from a souped up set up is the way the ruling dispensation welcomes/treats its critics - in this case the citizens of Bengaluru, the primary stakeholders. The Steel flyover fiasco has proved once for all that with a little prodding from the judiciary, Government cannot play ostrich to people's dissent.

Knowing fully well that this might just be another one of those non-starters, I can't help but appreciate the boldness of the men at the helm of affairs. They have dared to dream and that is what matters.

Almost a generation ago, a firecracker of an actor called Shankar Nag (may his soul rest in peace) dreamt of installing a ropeway to Nandi Hills. People looked at him in disbelief. Today, the idea is seeing the light of the day. Link

Feasible or not, the Pod taxi is an idea worth giving a shot. Its akin to the making Singapore out of Bangalore idea of a former CM of Karnataka. Bengaluru is no Singapore, but without that vision, not many techies could have called it their home!

Let the modalities of the scheme be made public, let BBMP come out with the blueprints. Let's not break the pipe without listening to the tunes of the piper. Mainly because:

The project will come up on the median of the road and there is no need to acquire any property for the project. It will work as a feeder service for mass transit like Metro and the fare will be cheaper than auto or bus fare.

.

[dark.knight]

Dig dig dig the tar gently down the path,
Merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream.

Dig dig dig the tar gently down the road,
If you catch a little rat please let it off the hook.

Dig dig dig the tar gently down an alley,
Don't stand up and peek inside that's a big mistake.

Dig dig dig the tar gently down the pavement,
If the water pipe gets you wet don't forget to shiver.

Dig dig dig the road and watch the dirt flow,
Digging's fun but digging's hard and that is what we know.

Dig dig dig the road see the people run,
Digging here and digging there oh we're never ever done.

[maddy42]

Indians: If you want to see how to mess up a city, look no further than Bangalore! Our corporators and politicians live in la la land and have basically become experts in destroying a beautiful city.

This is a city of lakes, but uses a river which is 100 mile away for its water source. Planning is non existent.

If there is any place which needs a strong leader like "Lee Kuan Yew" from singapore, look no further.

Saars from BBMP, dayamaadi namma city na ulisi, nimma duddina aasegaagi bengaluruna haal madabedi.

Maddy

[anand.shankar]

BBMP and the Vendor should be given a qualifier test to start this project.

They should be asked to fix the 'Tin Factory' Jn first.

Though a novel and futuristic idea, BBMP, BDA needs to think of a holistic, larger and longer lasting solution.

[CarJunki]

The civic body in only interested in making fools of people.
Every now and then these kind of topics are raised in media so that more conferences can be organized and more hospitality offered to different stakeholders.

[dailydriver]

BBMP has called for expression of interest from companies with experience in handling cable car transport in urban areas, reports TOI.

Officially called Cable Car Method Under Personal Rapid Transport System for Bengaluru city, the project aims to make use of solar energy to transport 15,000 people/hour at a maximum attainable speed of 100kmph - 10kmph more than the top speed of Metro trains. However, normal running would be at speeds of around 50-60kmph.

The project would be a public-private enterprise and the model of operation is supposed be Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer.

[abijithmenon]

Maybe these pod taxis can be successful as last mile connectivity solutions to popular spots like "Leela Palace"; but the question of feasibility is important.
Can it be a fast, transit system flexible of taking loads or will it again be more of a tourist attraction?

Similar pod taxis were implemented in Masdar City (a pioneering future city project in UAE) as the primary personal transportation model, but the success is yet to be gauged. Reports say that it has transported over 2 million passengers in 6 years of operation.