Glydways, a Bay Area transportation startup, emphasizes that it is not just another hyperloop venture but focuses on accessible public transit solutions. Their first project involves four-seat electric vehicles operating short, on-demand routes, initially linking the Atlanta airport to nearby venues. This pilot project will test the system's scalability and viability over two years of free service, with an assessment to follow. Despite the $18 million construction costs, Glydways' approach aims to challenge the high expenses typically associated with U.S. transit construction, offering a more inclusive solution for urban mobility.
Management at the Bay Area transportation startup Glydways wants you to be clear about what the company is not: It may plan to move people in futuristic autonomous pods, but it's not hyperloop-grade vaporware. And its funding by big-name Silicon Valley investors does not make it a ride for the 1%. "Public transit for everyone, everywhere," says founder Mark Seeger.
Glydways is starting smaller than that. Its first green-lit project (after a temporary test track now under construction next to an abandoned mall in Richmond, Calif.) and others under consideration by local governments will have Glydways's four-seat electric vehicles plying short on-demand routes between existing business and transportation hubs.
We want to see how well the system operates with various fluctuations of riders showing its ability to scale and that it is indeed a viable transit option, says Krystal Harris, program director for ATL Airport Community Improvement Districts.
The $18 million in construction and operational costs that Harris cited may seem steep for such a short distance, but not in the context of U.S. transit construction expenses that have made the country exceptional in the wrong way.
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