From the City of Sugar Land:
Swyft Cities, a provider of advanced urban mobility systems, and the city of Sugar Land have entered into an agreement to study bringing an autonomous elevated cable and rail mobility system developed as part of a Google project to the greater Houston region for fast, convenient mobility.
As a vibrant, fast-growing city, Sugar Land is clearly on the move, and Swyft Cities implements an innovative transportation system, known as Whoosh®, that can quickly and conveniently whisk people with no waiting to destinations such as Sugar Land Town Square, Smart Financial Centre and more.
The system uses small electric vehicles that resemble conventional gondolas but use advanced autonomous technologies to move independently along a network of elevated fixed cables and rails. Vehicles are on-demand, and systems can be built at a cost far below conventional transit projects. All trips are fast and nonstop with no stops at intermediate stations.
Swyft Cities and Sugar Land have agreed to conduct an engineering schematic study to examine the potential for a Whoosh® system in Sugar Land, including concepts for potential routes and station locations, and use of public-private partnerships to minimize financial burdens and risks for the city.
Whoosh® prototypes have demonstrated low cost, an excellent user experience with great views, and environmental sustainability with zero emissions. Swyft Cities was spun out from Google into a separate business to help bring the technology to market for public transportation use.
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner on a project that’s unlike anything else in the nation,” said City Manager Michael W. Goodrum. “Whoosh® checks all the boxes. It’s innovative, bold, and trailblazing. Our residents have told us that mobility is among their top priorities, and we are committed to being responsive to their needs by providing opportunities for projects they tell us are important. We will be relentless in looking for opportunities like this one to partner with state and federal funding sources to reduce the financial impact to our residents while also delivering mobility projects that support quality of life, economic development and tourism.”
Sugar Land believes innovative transportation technologies are key to enabling the city to continue its growth by moving people across the community conveniently and sustainably. By working with Swyft Cities, Sugar Land can be one of the first cities in the U.S. to bring Whoosh transportation to people and serve as a model for how cities can innovate their urban transportation systems.
“We’re excited to partner with the City of Sugar Land to bring a new level of fast, convenient mobility to help support the fast-growing region,” said Jeral Poskey, CEO of Swyft Cities. “The City of Sugar Land is emerging as a global leader in implementing advanced transportation infrastructures introducing exciting new ways to meet their growing mobility needs not only for today, but for the future as well.”
Earlier this year, the City of Sugar Land also announced a partnership with Wisk Aero for development of vertiports for autonomous air taxi operations. The results of the study with Swyft Cities are expected to be completed later this year.
For information on the project, visit www.sugarlandtx.gov/SLAerialGondola.