Mumbai: ‘Taxi Pod project won’t work here’

Citizens, transport experts and analysts have heavily criticised the idea of the personal Pod Taxi service that the MMRDA is working on for BKC and said that it could be another example of a transport project gone wrong, like the Mumbai Monorail.

"The major problem with the Pod Taxi is the frequency and investment returns. With high prices, the masses won't use them, only the top 5 per cent will be able to afford it. But these top 5 per cent would hate to wait for a Pod Taxi to arrive due to the lesser number available in the initial stages. So someone has to solve this ‘chicken and egg' problem to even break even the cost," Akshay Rautela, real estate professional and co-founder of Instaspaces, said.

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‘Useless project'

Mitul Patel, an infra enthusiast, said, "If priced at par/slightly higher than share rickshaws it will be fine. But the discipline needed to seat as per capacity, to maintain hygiene, upkeep, etc will be a challenge. A prime example of this is the conceptually similar project of Mumbai Monorail."

According to Jagdeep Desai, architect, academician, and founder trustee and chairperson of the Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai, such a system hasn't been put to use at a mass level anywhere in the world. "Already congested with ongoing infrastructure, this is yet another time-consuming activity. The public will wait forever for smooth transportation. Instead of that, open stage carriage services to regulated private operators. Give a choice to people," he said.

Another expert, K K Tinguru, said, "They built skywalks, they bought buses, they made bus lanes, they marked cycle lanes… and nothing worked. Now they are into these useless pods to splurge public money."

The 282nd executive committee meeting of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Wednesday, chaired by the chief secretary, granted approval for the appointment of Sai Green Mobility Pvt Ltd as the concessionaire. The firm has been entrusted with the design, engineering, development, construction, testing, commissioning and also operation and maintenance on Design, Finance, Build-Operate-Transfer (DFBOT) basis for the automated rapid transit system (Pod Taxi) in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). The firm has partnered with Ultra PRT - a technology provider with a proven track record - which has been running the operational Pod Taxi system at Heathrow.

Fare chart and cost

The recommended fare for the service is Rs 21 per km, with an annual increase of 4 per cent to account for inflation and operational costs. The project was first approved during MMRDA's 156th authority meeting on March 6, 2024, with an estimated cost of Rs 1,016.34 crore on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis.

10-hour block on WR

A major block of 10 hours will be taken between Goregaon and Kandivli from midnight to 10am on Sunday morning. All Churchgate slow trains will run on the fast line from Borivli to Goregaon. All Virar/Dahanu slow line trains will run on the fast line from Andheri. Between Goregaon and Borivli stations, all Virar/Dahanu bound slow trains will not halt at Ram Mandir, Malad and Kandivli. A few Churchgate-Borivli slow trains be short-terminated.

CR to get Vande Metro train prototype

In some good news for CR passengers, the first ever Vande Metro train prototype has been allotted to Central Railway. It is being manufactured by Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala. The train is meant to be used for short-distance inter-city rail networks to connect major cities within a distance of around 100-250 km.