BAA has officially unveiled driverless pods which will transport 500,000 passengers per year between the Business Car Park and the terminal building at Heathrow T5.
The pods have been undergoing a soft launch phase over the last few months, as testified by several of our forum posters here, but the 21 vehicles have now been officially launched by the airport operator.
BAA describes the pods - which have taken six years and £30 million to develop - as “low energy, battery powered, driverless, zero emission vehicles capable of carrying four passengers and their luggage along a dedicated 3.8km guide way”.
The pods travel up to 25 miles per hour, with a journey time between the car park and terminal of five minutes (around a third of the journey time by bus).
BAA says there will be “no waiting”, as “a central computer ensures that pods are distributed at each station according to passenger demand”, and expects the service to eliminate 50,000 bus journeys on roads around Heathrow each year.
For more information visit baa.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
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