Our Technology
LoopWorks is pioneering an advanced transit system to serve the Milpitas BART station by providing convenient, quick and safe rides for residents, workers and visitors. Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) is convenient because riders simply go to a nearby station, get in an awaiting cab, select a destination, and go! Like a horizontal elevator. PRT is quick because you go non-stop to your destination, bypassing other podcar stops. That non-stop feature makes it quicker than using a car. And it is safe because, like your own car, you decide who – if anyone – rides with you. Because PRT is so easy to use, everyone can ride it. (See introductory videos here.)
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” – R. Buckminster (Bucky) Fuller
Our Team
Our team of highly-qualified Advisory Board members played various roles in high-tech companies. Among our members is an entrepreneur, 2 financial experts, the world’s foremost PRT technology expert, and long-term residents who have deep community connections in Milpitas. This combination of experience, skills, and connections will power this project to completion, and make Milpitas an international attraction.
More importantly than team members is our stakeholders and governance structure. As a taxable non-profit mutual benefit corporation, LoopWorks has a responsibility not only to investors, but also to management, employees, customers, suppliers, the local community, and the environment. Maintaining this “stakeholder perspective” might come with higher costs in the short term, but it will deliver better returns in the long run for all parties so that local community wealth—commonwealth—grows. The role of LoopWorks is to make the right trade-offs so that all stakeholders can thrive.
Our Mission
Loopworks hopes the Milpitas PRT demonstration project will be a see, touch and ride inspiration to change the way transportation is viewed in cities across the world. It starts with a Mission to “Provide climate-friendly and easy-to-use Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) for movement around Milpitas that bypasses traffic with quick, point-to-point and fare-free rides.” Our long-term Vision, however, extends worldwide: The LoopWorks PRT project inspires rapid adoption of advanced transit that dramatically reduces transportation sector emissions.
Milpitas PRT Demonstration Project (dual loop feeder to mass transit)
LoopWorks is leading the effort to build a locally owned and operated PRT network with a dozen stops to serve the BART/VTA Transit Center, Great Mall, Trader Joe’s grocery, parks, schools, and housing in the Metro area of Milpitas. Major design decisions shall be guided by various stakeholder owners including Milpitas residents, civic and business groups, and various property owners, including the City of Milpitas.
Costs
Capital costs for design, construction, and testing is expected from foundations and government agencies with an interest in reducing CO2 emissions and/or supporting transit usage and social equity. The goal of free PRT service for Milpitas residents will require ongoing Operations & Maintenance (O&M) financing from stakeholders and advertisers, not riders.
With the successful completion of this dual-loop system, extensions are expected that may ultimately cover most of Milpitas. For example, the following map shows how an investment of about $250M could serve 4 square miles of the entire 14 sq. mi. area of Milpitas, bringing PRT to nearly 50% of residents. Providing 8 neighborhood podcar stops per square-mile (like bus stops) yields 32 stations to serve residents in the area.
Whether or not this small PRT project expands, it will be a first-of-its-kind that will draw international attention to Milpitas and its leaders. LoopWorks encourages other communities to build their own PRT systems with the help of these resources.
Contact LoopWorks
408.262.0420