Rapid Transit Gets Personal, Again

After decades of discussion and experimentation, Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is again getting attention as a potential alternative means of transport, merging the comfort of the private car with the automation and safety of public transit.

2 minute read

January 15, 2013, 12:00 PM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


"Personal Rapid Transit is probably best described as a hybrid between the private car and public transit, with some more familiar elements of the taxi and elevator thrown in," explains Badger. "Picture, in short, a pod car."

The concept of the PRT has been around for at least five decades, and a system from the 1970's still operates at the University of West Virginia. Now, with improved technology, lower costs, and attractive environmental benefits, the technology is once again attracting interest. In fact, "Heathrow Airport in the U.K. opened a PRT system in the summer of 2011, and the built-from-scratch supposedly net-zero community of Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates is planned around one as well."

With recent research suggesting the crucial element in persuading people to ditch their cars for mass transit is to match the qualities people love most about their automobiles, PRT might "be the solution that destigmatizes public transit for drivers who fear its unreliability," says Badger.

"On a PRT system, you’d hop into your own pod, with one arriving every minute or even less at a station on a designated track. You could share one as you would a taxi, with someone heading to the same destination. Or, you’d ride it alone like a car. You’d then direct the vehicle to a specific destination within the system, to which it would travel without making any stops in between (and without fighting normal congestion). It would be almost like stepping into an elevator and pressing a button to the sixth floor."

"Everything about this scheme mirrors the personalized experience of a private car, on common public infrastructure like a set of train tracks," adds Badger.

"That was the original idea," says Wayne Cottrell, an associate faculty associate professor of engineering at National University in San Diego. "Advocates have stuck to that over the decades: This is a great idea, we just need to convince somebody with money to invest in this."

Tuesday, January 15, 2013 in The Atlantic Cities

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight