Transportation

Transportation in large cities:

• • Urban transport pods (UTP) would take the place of taxis. These are small one or two passenger vehicles that drive themselves over a pre-described route; passengers may select from a list of possible destinations. These would function primarily in city centers.

  • Most cars are highly automated and traffic regulated for maximum efficiency. Cars driven in city limits are likely required to be autonomous and will use platooning and similar techniques – cars would work together to optimize traffic movements.

  • Subways and/or elevated trains provide public transport. Different cities have different types of trains, with varying appearance and functions, depending on the landscape and city layout. (Gondolas may be used in mountainous locations or cities with lots of very tall skyscrapers, for example.)

  • Moving sidewalks may be used in some cities, particularly those with mild climates.

Transportation in rural areas:

• • Highways allow for both autonomous cars and driver-directed vehicles. Scenic views and driving for pleasure are common, but long trips may make more use of self-driving cars.

  • Hyperloop trains transport passengers between cities and across continents. (This uses capsules within a partially pressurized tube to minimize air resistance, and capsules are levitated on a cushion of pressurized air, similar to an air hockey table.)

  • Dedicated high-speed freight trains transport goods from one place to another, on separate networks from passenger trains.

Transportation across and between continents:

• • Air travel is still quite common, but there are a variety of different types of transport. Intercontinental travel is usually expensive, especially for supersonic planes and luxury jets. “Sky whales” are a more efficient and sometimes cheaper mode of transport that can carry nearly a thousand passengers at once.

  • A few highly traveled routes between continents are set up, with bridges for hyperloop and maglev trains connecting major city centers, although in some places tunnels under the ocean are used instead of bridges. There are very few of these since they are costly to maintain. Some are no longer in use due to lower traffic between certain areas and the challenges of maintaining such infrastructure following the Global War.

  • Maglev trains take freight from one continent to another, and some goods are transported by air, but ocean shipping transports larger and heavier goods, or goods that do not require speedy delivery. The Andalus Isles control much of the global shipping industry and manufacture almost all ships.