Personal Rapid Transit in New Zealand - Future Transit Now

Podcar City Ithaca 2008 Conference - Newsletter #2

This article backgrounds the devolution of the Federal Role in Urban Transportation. The article is important reading to understand the Fed's purported shift away from regulatory role to open market mechanism's and a supposed requirement for greater coverage of costs through fares as opposed to subsidies. Policy also has been to focus on proven systems.

Worth reading to ask the questions

• what mechanisms are in place to prove new systems
• Is the Fed really relying on market mechanisms
• Are fares really covering costs

The newsletter of the Podcar City Ithaca 2008 Conference

Lean production theory provides a basis for understanding how Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) improves upon traditional mass transit. Lean production refers to manufacturing processes that improve upon mass production techniques to reduce cost, reduce time to produce, improve quality, and better respond to market demands. The benefits of lean production techniques have been documented in several studies, including an intensive worldwide study of the automotive industry. Those same benefits as applied to transit planning have important implications for the economic development of our communities.

In June 2006 a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Kingdom of Sweden and the State of California regarding renewable fuel, energy and green transportation. Following on from this, the Institute for Sustainable Transport in Sweden sent representatives as part of a delegation to California and this is their travel report.