Thursday, September 05, 2024
By Kamal Swami
MMRDA Approves The Operation Of Pod Taxi For BKC
To combat the transportation problem in urban areas, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has approved the pod taxi project for the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The decision was made in the 282nd executive committee meeting held under the chairmanship of the state chief secretary. During the meeting, Sai Green Mobility was appointed the concessionaire to initiate the project.
Sai Green Mobility will look after the design, engineering, development, and maintenance of the pod taxi system, in collaboration with a London-based technology provider M/s Ultra PRT, working as the technology partner for operating the pod taxi service at Heathrow Airport.
The proposed network will be extended to 8.8 kilometres within BKC and includes 38 stations. Dimensionally the pod taxis will be 3.5 meters in length and 1.8 meters in height, and will reach the top speed of 40 km/h, and capable of accommodating six passengers in each pod.
MMRDA believes that the availability of the new transport facility with help in combating last-minute connectivity. The time gap between two pod taxis is expected to be between 15 to 30 seconds and is believed to minimize traffic on narrow roads linking BKC to the Bandra and Kurla suburban stations.
The fare for the pod taxi service will be Rs 21 per kilometre. This fare is based on the surveys conducted among current auto-rickshaw and bus users. This rate aligns with the willingness of approximately 70% of auto-rickshaw users and 36% of bus passengers to pay for the service. According to reports the operating agency will increase the fare by 4% annually to compensate for the operational cost. The pod taxi system is speculated to result in a major improvement in solving the commuting problems in BKC, providing an advanced and autonomous alternative for passengers travelling to the most congested business hubs of Mumbai.
