Ministry chalking out plan for pod taxi project connecting Delhi and Manesar

The Union transport ministry is preparing the ground for launching the pod taxi project to connect Delhi and Manesar and is discussing various aspects of the project with different companies, said Gurugram MP and Union minister of state Inderjit Singh on Wednesday.

Pod taxis have been a popular mode of commute in several western countries, and can accommodate four to six passengers per car. The proposal for setting a pod taxi project was taken up by Union minister Nitin Gadkari in 2016. This system, also called personal rapid transit (PRT), comprises small automated vehicles operating on a network of specially built guide ways. The right of way was to be the entire carriageway of the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, as per the initial plan of the National Highways Authority of India outlined in 2016.

As a pilot project, the pod taxi system was to be developed on 12.30km stretch from Gurugram border to Sohna road at a cost of around ₹800 crore. The project has however remained in abeyance and now the Union transport ministry is planning to put it on ground, said Singh.

“The Union transport ministry is giving the final shape to the pod taxi project between Delhi and Manesar. They have also sought cooperation in this matter from the Haryana government to expedite the project. We assure all assistance and full cooperation," said Singh adding that the plan of the pod taxi project connecting Delhi and Manesar was disclosed during a meeting of MPs with Nitin Gadkari inside the Parliament complex in Delhi on Wednesday.

Singh said the pod taxi project, also called Metrino, will be set up at a cost of ₹5,000 crore. “The pod taxi project will greatly improve commuting between Delhi and Manesar and also in Gurugram. It will also help reduce the number of vehicles on road and reduce pollution while providing comfortable mode of transport to people,” he said.

The first pod taxi project in India has been proposed in Uttar Pradesh where this fast mode of conveyance will connect the Noida International Airport coming up at Jewar and the Noida Film City. The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority has approved the detailed project report of the project, estimated to cost ₹810 crore and cover a distance of 12km connecting the two mega projects on the Yamuna Expressway.