Trams/buses a plenty? (two/four seaters)?

[Riverman]

Just had a bit of an odd thought regarding a future tram network. One of the problems with public transport is having to wait for it.

Has anyone ever explored the possibility of trams that only have a couple of seats and are plenty?

It would have several benefits.

1) The frequency of the service would increase by a factor of seats in the original tram/bus.

2) The tram/bus could travel directly to its destination, instead of stopping at several unnecessary bus stops in between

3) The bus/tram with only a couple of seats would be a more personalized, private form of transport. Which by its nature would be more appealing to the car driver.


Possible problems? Do you kinda get an idea what I'm on about. Apologies I'm very tired today.

 

[marinyork]

There have been various sorts of schemes talked about in the 1960s, apparently there have been plans for monorails/cable cars in a similar way. None of them got built though. I often think it a pity.

 

[Keith Oates]

I think there is a word for this idea it's called a Taxi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Riverman]

Ah this concept is cool. It didn't occur to me at first that you could put them above the regular vehicles.

http://gondolaproject.com/tag/cable-cars/

Can't see cable cars going very fast though. Would be interesting to see what the engineers could come up with though.

 

[Riverman]

Not sure I fancy this lol.

 

[Theseus]

They are talking about putting something like wot you are talking about into the Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid. There was a program on the telly about it over the weekend.

 

[jonesy]

Do you mean something like this:

http://www.ultraprt.com/

These things are potentially quite interesting as well:

http://www.parrypeoplemovers.com/

 

[Riverman]

Those look awesome. If the curbs were low enough, makes me wonder whether cyclists could share a lane with similar things.

 

[Riverman]

These things really are quite impressive.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PyUQuWmt2M&feature=player_embedded


http://www.ultraprt.com/media/videos/

Hey as this is a British company, it maybe has the potential to make a big contribution to our economic growth. It's exactly the sort of company the government keeps saying it's trying to encourage. A manufacturing green economy.

 

[Piemaster]

Clever ideas there. Sort of horizontal lifts, but can we get the full turbolift? Or even a Great Glass Elevator?

 

[BrumJim]

Do you mean something like this:

These things are potentially quite interesting as well:

http://www.parrypeoplemovers.com/

We've been working on the approvals side of these beasts recently - they have got one working very successfully between Stourbridge Town and Stourbridge Junction - much better than the old single car train - accelerates faster, and is very reliable, apparently. Service is now doubled, IIRC from the old train.

 

[cygnet]

It looks like they are testing a more urban environment version in Abu Dhabi too. (Not ULTra but similar idea)

http://www.2getthere.eu/Personal_Transit/Projects/Masdar_City_PRT/