Cardiff, the capital city of Wales in the U.K., is now testing its ULTra (Urban Light Transport) system. The system operates with lightweight (1,760-pound), battery-operated vehicles on a special track in Cardiff Bay, with a top of speed of 25 miles per hour.
The four-passenger, driverless vehicles have been hailed as the prototype of a future urban transport system that could begin operating in the Welsh capital by late 2004.
ULTra was developed by the Advanced Transport Systems, a spin-off of the University of Bristol. ATS Chairman Trevor Smallwood called the system "science fact and not science fiction because it uses existing technology. We look forward to operating the first fully operating system in Cardiff."
The rubber-tire vehicles product no pollution and use 80 percent less energy per passenger mile than light rail, according to ATS. The ULTra pods also are resigned to accommodate wheelchairs and bikes.
The developers and ULTra construction costs one-tenth the price of a roadway lane and uses one-quarter of the land required. Vehicles speeds average about 40 kilometers per hour, about three times as fast as an urban bus in city traffic, and with less than a minute waiting time at stops even in peek hours.
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