New Transit Modes: Applicability and Current Status

A survey of new urban transportation systems around the world reveals that four significant technology classes are presently emerging: Moving Way Transit (MWT), Light Guideway Transit (LGT), Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), and Dial-A-Bus (DAB).

The author concludes that LGT is state-of-the-art, that accelerating MWT systems are at an awkward state with respect to the marketplace, that high capacity PRT appears to be no less than four years away from state-of-the-art and that DAB systems are operational.

The general theme of the paper gives the status of development of the technology classes and their applicability and availability to a defined set of urban scenarios.