LoopWorks joins race to build 1st Bay Area smart transit
For Immediate Release: July 2, 2021
Contact: Rob Means, Rob@MilpitasPRT.com
LoopWorks joins race to build 1st Bay Area smart transit
Historically, Bay Area mass transit has grappled with limited connections and timely service. While Caltrain and BART are great, getting to either and then to your final destination is often a challenge.
Attempting to solve these problems are 3 different projects using Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) technology. Each project plots a different approach to success, and each has already secured some of the necessary resources. According to LoopWorks President Matt Kennedy, “After decades of design, development and small-scale projects, PRT technologies are finally being implemented on a larger scale. These are exciting days for a technology that helps solve the connectivity issues that have limited public transportation services.”
The City of San José plans to connect its airport with Diridon train station using Measure A funding authorized by the voters in 2000. The Milpitas project also starts as a small, short-range system, but expects expansion to serve more of the city. The Contra Costa PRT system starts with a vision that spans 4 cities over a 28-mile corridor – Antioch, Pittsburg, Martinez and Concord.
LoopWorks’ Secretary, Rob Means, enthusiastically supports the quick and convenient technology, but is most excited about the data we will get from 3 different approaches. To help himself make sense of what can be learned from the Bay Area trio, he developed the following table of major factors at play in this contest. Listed are resourcesneeded to build a PRT system – and which projects have likely secured them. He believes “These different ways of solving resource needs creates an opportunity for scientific studies comparing the different approaches.”
|
Resource |
Available now, or expected soon, by these projects … |
|---|---|
|
Hardware Design |
Milpitas, open source design. Contra Costa Co., proprietary design.San Jose will issue RFP, then choose a design. |
|
Route Selection |
Milpitas, dual loop; Contra Costa Co., 28-mile corridor; San Jose will issue RFP, then choose a route. |
|
Funding |
San José, 2020 Measure A. Contra Costa Co., private/venture capital. Milpitas expects foundation funding. |
|
Government Support |
San Jose and Contra Costa Co. support their projects. |
|
Project Governance |
San Jose, government agency. Contra Costa Co., private/for profit firm (Glydways). Milpitas, (LoopWorks) |
|
Projected Public Use |
Milpitas, 2028; San Jose, 2028; Contra Costa Co., 2030 |
“Upon completion of all 3 systems”, Means says, “we will know better which factors are most favorable to success. That will inform and ease a rapid, nation-wide adoption of PRT. Widespread use of PRT is just one of the big changes needed to reverse our Climate Crisis.” Citing the appeal of PRT, he continues, “Just imagine walking a few blocks to board an awaiting RPT cab that takes you to your destination with no hassle and no stops!”
The Contra Costa project offers perhaps the best solution to climate change by going beyond zero to negative carbon emissions by combining PRT’s power-efficiency with photovoltaics embedded into the infrastructure that generate more energy than the PRT system consumes. The project developer, Glydways, is pursuing other projects in the Bay Area.
Learn more about each project:
- Milpitas project is led by LoopWorks
- Contra Costa Co. project is led by Glydways, 43-page Feasibility Report with maps, Glydways also sees an opportunity in South San Francisco.
- San Jose project is led by City of San José. VTA article about the project.
LoopWorks is a taxable non-profit mutual benefit corporation that is creating a smart transit system to serve the Metro Area around the Milpitas BART Transit Center using convenient and quick Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) technology.
For more information, visit MilpitasPRT.com or email info@MilpitasPRT.com.
