2 Bidders for Mumbai BKC’s PRT System (Pod Taxi) Contract
Two firms – Sai Green Mobility and Refex Industries – have bid for constructing and operating a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) business district on DBFOT mode.
Mumbai’s 8.8 km PRT (Pod Taxi) network was approved by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in March 2024 to connect Bandra Railway Station and Kurla Railway Station under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
This project will transport 4-8 passengers in small driverless pod-cars or pod-taxis for nonstop point-to-point travel with 38 stops located in and around BKC such as at the upcoming BKC Station of Mumbai – Ahmedabad Bullet Train and Mumbai Metro’s Line-2B / Yellow Line projects.
MMRDA had invited for the system’s development in March 2024 and opened technical bids on Tuesday to reveal just 2 firms had bid for its contract.
MMRDA’s Brief Scope: Request for proposal for Design Engineering Development Construction Testing Commissioning and Operation and Maintenance of a commercially viable Automated Rapid Transit System Personalised Transit System in BKC Mumbai on DFBOT Basis
Looking online, I see Sai Green Mobility was registered as a company on March 14, 2024. It’s a subsidiary of Sai Wardha Power Generation Pvt. Ltd. and they claim to be building a ropeway at Sinhagad Fort.
Refex Industries primarily deals with selling refrigerant gas and coal ash disposal, and doesn’t bring much transportation experience either.
For technical bid evaluation (that I’ve partly done above from an experience perspective, ha), MMRDA will be assisted by Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) which earlier this month was awarded a Rs. 19.80 crore consultant contract for upcoming metro, roads, bridges and transportation projects worth Rs. 34,174 crore.
Here’s a video released by MMRDA in March 2024:
As shared in the past, I’ve never been convinced by the utility of PRT systems in the urban landscape, particular in India, due to severe capacity constraints even though they’ve been tested with 1 second headways. They are too small for big cities, and too costly for smaller cities.
India’s ugly urban landscape needs simple solutions like fixing and building wide useable sidewalks, improving all road junctions’ designs, fixing bus stop locations, incorporating smarter lane designs with prominent markings, and enforcing localized one-way roads where possible to improve traffic throughput.
I’m rooting that Mumbai (or any city in India) never sees a PRT system. There are only a handful of systems around the world (eg: Heathrow Airport in London and Suncheon in South Korea) and most are 1-4 km long. Many operators have in fact suspended plans for further expansion.
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– TMRG
Your insight about Indian urban transport is extraordinary. Keep doing good work….
100% agree that the PRT Pod System is a complete misstep in terms of Mumbai’s transit. Not only will it waste precious funds, but it will also probably be slower in reaching parts of BKC than private transit. I would have preferred if either they made L2 underground till BKC (as it should have been) to better serve interior areas or even made new metro lines serving the area.
Also, you’re completely right regarding road junction. Indian roads can have 3 lanes seamlessly turn into 1 and the lane markings (which most people choose not to follow) conspicuously disappear in the middle. The old system of flyover-junction does not seem to be serving us too well, and except for MTHL’s T-junction, they seem reluctant to invest in elevated roads similar to Shanghai’s.
Instead of prt,if mmrda hop,elevated bus system ,which can carry rather 30+people to bandra or kurla stn,that would bring relief to the existing load on traffic system,that I ve seen in china.
Instead of Pod taxi Govt should look after “Elevated Bus Transist system “. A Bridge in middle Where only busses are allowed to drive. These will reduce trafic from roads also as busses will be disappeared from ground roads. Where Metro can’t reach, Buses should buy only Elevated.
Good to see that no big company like ayesa, systra, rites etc participated.
The chances that both of these companies fail technical bid evaluation are high, and hopefully then mmrda will put this idea on the shelf for good.
Another white elephant from stupid MMRDA, like mono-rail. These two transit systems are definately not for highly populated cities even a schoolboy will tell you. And two dumb indian cos have bidded. Mumbai’s congested, ugly landscape have been defaced by elevated metro lines, that too in upmarket area like BKC, where it should have been underground, linking bandra station east with kurla station via bkc.
The most important thing MMRDA should be work on Road Map.
The Enterence & Exit is not proper in BKC.
No Signal installed most on the BKC Premises.
As rightly explained it is not going to be useful for our country. Also contractors not having credibility in doing transport projects.
Improving sidewalks , junctions, one ways like HK , where people walk in central biz district