PRT - Automatic taxi is about to appear in the UK

No driver, no rails, no departure time, no air pollution causing pollution and passengers do not have to queue. It is the world's first personal fast-moving system (PRT), referred to as an automatic personal taxi, which is about to be launched in the UK.

The shape of beans looks like cars in science fiction movies, PRT will become a public transport vehicle in the fog country. After London's Heathrow Airport inaugurated Terminal 5 in March, a team of 18 PRTs will transport passengers between the parking area and the check-in counter at the new station in just 4 minutes.

With a length of 3.7 m, 1.4 m wide, 1.8 m high, load 500 kg, taxi PRT has 4 seats. The system's ' money-to-eat ' point is not a speed (an average of 40 km / hr) but a convenience that promises to bring passengers. PRT is said to be ' therapy ' for the ' diseases ' common in public transport systems such as fixed schedules - leading to the situation of passengers queuing up, waiting for a long time, a limited route .

As an on-demand vehicle, PRT can be programmed to take passengers to anywhere . According to Advanced Transport Systems, PRT manufacturer in Bristol, using this type of taxi, passengers only wait up to 12 seconds. And since PRT has its own designed lane, there will be no traffic congestion or waiting for traffic lights, in other words, the car is running in the middle of the road. A special feature is that PRT only serves a group of passengers who have known in advance, so women and children can safely use it because there will be no carpooling with strangers.

Passengers can catch cars at designated locations.(Photo: Jaunted)

For those who are interested in environmental ' health ', this system is superior to its advantages: zero greenhouse gas emissions and 70% energy savings compared to cars and 50% compared to buses . 'This is a completely new public transport vehicle, providing fast and convenient service to passengers while providing significant benefits to the environment because it saves twice as much fuel than vehicles. Personal or public travel today , 'said Mark Bullock, Heathrow's executive director.

Battery-operated can automatically charge after every stop, PRT runs in a 1.5-meter wide lane using a built-in laser sensor system. Passengers pick up PRT at already arranged spots - like a bus stop or taxi station - and only a few seconds later a car appears. After boarding, the passenger selects the destination via the touch screen. The central control system will specify the direction for the vehicle and the passenger is given a circuit to the chosen place. However, in order to avoid stumbling upon obstacles that may be dangerous or snowy, PRT is designed to stop automatically when seeing obstacles on the road.

If the first PRT test is successful at Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport will use PRT throughout the stations. In addition, Daventry town in Northamptonshire is intending to deploy PRT system with 100 cars to meet the increasing travel needs of the people. Currently, PRT is in the sights of many countries around the world, including those in the Gulf region.