The City of San Jose is pursuing the idea of building an “Automated Transit Network” in the City. An Automated Transit Network or ATN (also known as Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), Group Rapid Transit (GRT), and PodCars) is a system of small (4-6 passenger) computer-controlled (no drivers) vehicles operated on or suspended below an elevated guideway. The vehicles are light weight, so the necessary infrastructure (support beams, guideway, stations) costs less to build and requires less space than conventional transit systems. The energy requirements to operate the system are also lower.

There are no scheduled or fixed routes for ATNs. Vehicles wait at stations for passengers to arrive. Passengers decide when and where to go and depart within seconds of arriving at a station. Stations are off the main line, so travel is non-stop. Computers identify the optimum route to a given destination and avoid collisions by ensuring a safe distance between vehicles. The concept is similar to an exclusive horizontal elevator with seats.

The first quasi-ATN was built in 1975 in Morgantown, West Virginia followed shortly thereafter by two others-- one in Miami, Florida and another in Detroit, Michigan. While these systems are still in operation, they were not deemed commercial viable. Technological advances have changed that equation. Earlier this year, ULTra, a UK-based company, constructed the first leg of an ATN system at London Heathrow Airport.

ULTra is one of 17 respondents to a Request for Interest (RFI) issued by the City in August 2008. The full list of respondents is provided below. The City received responses from firms in Sweden, Korea, Poland, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the United States, including several from the Bay Area.

The RFI sought information on how the respondents might partner with the City to finance, build, maintain and operate the system. From what we have learned, staff believes that there are a sufficient number of firms/consortiums that have the necessary technical and financial capacity to warrant San Jose investigating this option further. The Department is mapping out the next steps in its process. When that process is finalized, additional information will be posted here.

Contact
Laura Stuchinsky
City of San José
Department of Transportation
200 E. Santa Clara Street, Tower 8th Floor
San José, CA 95113
Phone: (408) 975-3226
Fax: (408) 292-6092
Laura.Stuchinsky@sanjoseca.gov