Driverless cars may ferry Thane locals to Metro stations

Thane roads are soon to be equipped with state-of-the-art Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system, which will ease commuting for passengers. The authorities made a presentation on PRTS during a metro project review meeting, held between the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) on Saturday.

The PRT system, also known as metrino, is a futuristic, driverless vehicle in shape of pods. It can accommodate two to six people, along a fixed track. Funded by the TMC, these pod cars will ferry commuters to the upcoming metro stations within the city.

The system will be implemented throughout Thane by the corporation. The MMRDA has planned a metro line between Wadala and Kasarvadavli. The TMC has also proposed its own internal ring route metro within the city. The PRT system aims at providing an access road to these metro stations. The routes for the same will be decided in the next fortnight.

Sandeep Malvi, public relations officer (PRO) of the TMC said, “Civic commissioner Sanjeev Jasiwal has come up with the idea of launching the PRT system in Thane, and has also presented it before the MMRDA authorities in the review meeting. The city will soon have metro lines; however, it is necessary that there is proper connectivity for the people to reach these metro stations. Thus PRT will not only link Thane city to metro stations, but can also be extended to Kalwa and Mumbra for short distant routes, as an alternate mode of transport.”

Malvi said that the PRT system, being technologically advanced, will not take a long time to get functional.

“The tracks are made of fibre, and thus they can be constructed in a short span of time. The pod cars also operate on laser, thereby not needing any manpower. Jaiswal plans to install the system as early as possible in the city as the implementation is less time consuming. We will finalise the routes for the car pods in the coming fortnight. The budget estimate for the project will also be made during the same time,” Malvi said.

What is PRT system?

The PRT system, also known as metrino, is a futuristic, driverless vehicle in shape of pods which can accommodate two to six people. They run along a pre-determined course using power. The pod cars move at a speed of 80-130 km/hour and can be used to transport people from one place to another at high speeds.