Has anyone else seen this

I think its a great idea. Energy efficient, moves people around, can have a bike inside to ride to someplace else, gets people out of their cars and off their fat duffs.

duff beer - ass beer - I just got that! HA :)

http://www.taxi2000.com/

Looks like it might be able to run on subway tracks someday.

the Big H's experiment with light rail has thus far left a lot to be desired. They built it to run at ground level rather than as an elevated system. That was a mistake for at least two reasons. One, when it rains heavily in Houston as it often does, the train has to stop running through the med center between the 610 loop and downtown (the only area where there are currently any tracks laid) because the med center floods. Two, the automobile traffic in Houston is terrible leading to many altercations between cars and the light rail trains, so much so in fact that the local light rail system has been nicknamed the "Wham-Bam-Tram" or sometimes also "A Streetcar Named Disaster." It would be a lot easier to get around this town with your own personal helicopter, but then everyone would want one. There's no way that would work.

Moving people in twos and threes is inefficient no matter how you do it. Many cities have pathetic mass transit options and many are over capacity, and behind on maintenance. Fix that first then worry about cool looking individualized transport.

The cars are electrified, and electric motors are 50% or more efficient. Autos, on the other hand, are 10%-20% efficient, while diesels are 50% or so.

I have a degree in electronics, I work on my car, and my father has been a diesel mechanic for the bus system for 30+ years.

Putting this in also gets the mass transit system off the ground, allowing for cars to sit less in traffic, idling, wasting gas, putting CO^2 in the air.

The cost would also be less then tunneling under the ground for a subway, bus system (CO^2), cars (CO^2), or probably even light rail (have to build rails on the ground, tying up traffic, see the post above about that) . Rails could be built over things, getting people to their destinations faster, saving more energy.

I don't see it as inefficient, or cool. The system would probably MAKE MONEY, which we could use to subsidize buses and other things to rural areas.

I see it as the best choice.

Mass transit will outperform this system many times over for overall efficiency including dollar for dollar. Until we have plucked that low hanging fruit this isn't worth the costs.

Buses? light rail? trains? Your not being very specific.

How much does it cost to build a bus(CO2, CO2, CO2)? and run it (CO2, CO2, CO2)? how about light rail(CO2, CO2, CO2)? you have to block off the roads, tear up the road, lay the track, lay new aspahlt, etc, etc(CO2, CO2, CO2). How many YEARS does it take to get a system working?

This system, you pop a hole in the ground, plant a pole in there like a power or telephone pole, put the track on, run the car. You could get a half mile laid in a day.

I don't think I've ever heard of a bus system thats made money. or break even. Or work well, dollar for dollar. The one my father worked for didn't. Maybe one in Seattle. Light rail? never heard of it making money either. Not to mention the congestion they cause. Guess you didn't read that post above? didn't think you would

Computer controlled, carbon fiber cars, very light, powered by electric motors. clean and efficient.

I don't see any "mass transit" that will beat it many times over.

"Until we have plucked that low hanging fruit this isn't worth the costs." - I don't see any low hanging fruit. Buses? Light ground rail? Seems that low hanging fruit hasn't worked well in the past 100 years. People don't ride buses unless forced to. People gave up riding light rail for cars. That "low fruit" has been rotten and sitting on the ground for a long time.

On Edit: Once again, I have given many reasons to use this system ( cost, efficiency, ridership ) and you have given none. Should we go for a third round?

The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity.

Get away from the damn repugs!

A good old fashioned light rail system would be easier. But I would love to work on the routing and collision avoidance algorithms.

No need for a hotel room!