Why do people urinate in bus shelters? In the case of the yellow snow I encountered on an icy day when buses came only sporadically, I assume it was out of desperation. Could the commuter risk taking the time to beg bathroom permission from the nearest business, when during that interval a bus might come and go without him? Forcing riders to endure uncertain amounts of wasted time is one of the many factors that puts buses at the bottom rank of transportation modes (as explained in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series).

There is a public alternative to this kind of demeaning transportation system. If we want transportation on our own 24-hour-a-day schedule, that takes us non-stop, without transfers, to our final destination, we can look at the top ranked mode, personal rapid transit (PRT).

What is PRT? The associated picture (and the one for Part 2) illustrates many of the characteristics that define the mode. First, PRT is typically elevated, which means that PRT vehicles move without interference from street traffic. Second, PRT vehicles are small, so travelers ride by themselves or with one or two friends, as they prefer. Third, PRT vehicles run on guideways, so they operate without interference from other modes. Fourth, PRT guideways are small, so they can be built inexpensively. Finally, PRT systems are automated, so no drivers are required.

The individualized, high level of service that PRT provides emerges from these basic characteristics. Being small and inexpensive, the guideways can be structured as a network, which allows direct origin‐to‐destination service with no need to transfer or stop at intervening stations. Being automated means vehicles are available 24 hours a day. Because PRT vehicles are dispatched only on demand, cities can run service to low-traffic areas without worrying about waste. Being small, PRT vehicles can wait for riders at stations instead of riders waiting for vehicles. Being elevated with a dedicated guideway, PRT vehicles can travel securely through snowstorms without traffic interference. This much superior level of service helps explain why studies predict a “modal split” to PRT of 30% of trips (Anderson, 2016, p 215). PRT would be a game changer for Boulder travelers: it would be a game changer for those too young and too old to drive, for employees and employers, for students, for shoppers, for recreationalists, for environmentalists, and for tourists.

Importantly, PRT would also be a game changer for transportation planners, because the effect on Boulder’s transportation system would be enormous. Imagine if the 5% of trips to and from work in Boulder that were made only on transit in 2017 became 30% of trips. That would mean a 30% decrease in cars on the roads, a decrease in the number of congested intersections, a decrease in the number of serious accidents, a decrease in emissions and noise, a decrease in the cost of maintaining roads, and a decrease in the need to enlarge roadways. And, a tremendous increase in social justice, accessibility, and fairness.

Travel with a PRT network becomes simple again. The commuter leaves home whenever it is convenient for her. If she lives in the suburbs she walks to the nearby station. If she lives in an apartment house or condo, there might be a station on site, so the walk is negligible. At the station, she passes her ID over a scanner, selects her destination station, sits down in the waiting vehicle, and presses a button to close the door. She begins a phone conversation with her friend as the PRT vehicle accelerates onto the main grid. As the phone conversation continues and scenery passes by below, the vehicle makes whatever turns are required to reach her requested destination, slows to a stop, and opens the door. This rider, we will imagine, works at the new Balsam Street city complex so there is a station built into the facility and all she has to do is make her way to her desk.

No stress, no traffic jams, no sudden stops for pedestrians, no cars trying to swerve around buses—just a relaxing ride to work. No more bladder-busting waits, no more pack-them-in sheep haulers. Whether we travel by car, wheelchair, baby stroller, bicycle, skateboard, or simply walk, PRT can extend the ways we move. The City of Boulder needs PRT: the city administration needs PRT for efficiency, and travelers in the city need PRT for the humanity in all of us.

Continue to Part 4