Driverless taxi pods to connect Jewer and Noida International Airport By CioreviewIndia team

Driverless taxi pods to connect Jewer and Noida International Airport

CioreviewIndia team | Monday, 08 March 2021, 06:53 IST

Driverless taxi

BJP leader and Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh states, “Driverless personal rapid transport (PRT) or pod taxis can be considered for last-mile connectivity of passengers coming and going from the upcoming Noida International Airport.”

A day after the meeting with representatives of Ultra PRT, a company that specialises in taxi pods Dhirendra states, “In several western countries the hi-tech pod taxis are used to make a cost-effective, pro-environment and convenient structure towards the society.”

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been welcomed the idea of having taxi pods for connectivity between Jewar and Greater Noida International Airport.

“The chief minister's thrust is on having futuristic mode of transport and taxi pods can be more viable on this route than metro train because they are environment friendly, cost-effective and provide last-mile connectivity,” Dhirendra states at PTI.

Dhirendra adds, “The accident rate in pod taxis is zero. There is no carbon emission as they are battery-operated. With pre-fabricated construction, the facility could be set up on the route in a period of two months. One taxi can have five to six passengers, so that makes it more viable than even buses which run with empty seats.”

Nitin Kumar,Ultra PRT's CEO, India and Middle East states,“The construction cost of system for pod taxis would cost five times less than it does in creating a metro or train route. These self-driven pod taxis run on battery or hydrogen and are environment friendly. They occupy less space and hence are naturally suitable for Indian cities and have viability in future also.”

Singh adds, “Besides the airport, a film city is coming up in Jewar along the Yamuna Expressway. A heritage city till Vrindavan is being developed, while several multinational companies are also planning facilities in the region, which makes the option of having pod taxis practical for commutation.”

Construction of one kilometre route for pod taxis could cost around40 crore to 45 crore against135-150 crore for Light Rail Transit (metro train),250-350 crore for Mass Rapid Transport, and40-45 crore for Bus Rapid Transport (for bus), according to the estimation of Ultra PRT.

Conferring to project officials report, the development work for the first phase of the Noida International Airport in Jewar is underway. The Greenfield airport has been developed in four phases and billed to be the biggest, with five or six runways spread in an area of 5,000 hectare.