Skip to main content

Masdar City PRT sets record highs in fifth year

The Masdar City personal rapid transit (PRT) system in Abu Dhabi has just completed its fifth year of operations, setting all time highs in number of passengers carried per month and per year, passenger growth and system availability. Since the start of operations on 28 November 2010 one can only conclude automated passenger transport is a rock solid, reliable and efficient solution for both passengers as well as stakeholders. The Masdar PRT operates 18 hours a day, every day and is led by 2getthere in c
December 10, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The Masdar City personal rapid transit (PRT) system in Abu Dhabi has just completed its fifth year of operations, setting all time highs in number of passengers carried per month and per year, passenger growth and system availability. Since the start of operations on 28 November 2010 one can only conclude automated passenger transport is a rock solid, reliable and efficient solution for both passengers as well as stakeholders.

The Masdar PRT operates 18 hours a day, every day and is led by 2getthere in co-operation with its UAE partner United Technical Services. The system provides a link between the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST).

The system carried one million passengers in its first 3.5 years of operation. Just 18 months later, the number has increased to 1,575,863 and its operators expect to reach the milestone of 2 million passengers before the end of this year of operations.

System availability in the fifth year of operations averaged 99.9 per cent over the year, with a 100 per cent availability being achieved in two months.  

As the system is powered by energy generated by the solar panels in Masdar City, the operators claim it has saved over 100,000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions over the last five years in comparison to typical cars in the United Arab Emirates. Apart from this positive environmental effect, there is zero emission of fine dust particles which contributes to an enhanced air quality.

2getthere’s CEO Carel van Helsdingen comments: “Over these five years time of operation we are satisfied with the way the system has performed. However, there is always room for improvement and our team is currently working to integrate several features to accommodate a higher capacity while also improving the comfort and ease of travel.”

Related Content

  • January 20, 2012
    Impact of speed limits in Barcelona
    When Barcelona imposed an 80km/h (50mph), the result was significant in environmental, accident, fatality and injury terms. The 80km/h speed limit had the same positive environmental effect as if 22,100 cars were eliminated from the roads in the metropolitan area. Moreover, a reduction in the consumption of fuel by more than 24,000 tonnes per year was also achieved, while accidents, fatalities and injuries also showed substantial improvement.
  • April 7, 2014
    Pollution has more than one solution
    Professor Alexander Baklanov of the World Meteorological Organization talks to Colin Sowman about the difficulties of reducing urban pollution. The inhabitants of Beijing have recently been suffering pollution levels 20 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended limit while the European Union is revitalising its efforts to implement and enforce air quality standards. Almost inevitably much of the clean-up efforts are likely to focus on traffic planners and engineers.
  • May 30, 2013
    Apps help passengers avoided overcrowded public transport
    David Crawford reviews innovations in the comfort zone. Anyone who rides public transport knows that, perhaps second only to delays, overcrowding is a critical part of the passenger experience,” says Nir Erez, CEO of Moovit, the Israel-based social transportation app developer. The app is aimed at taking real-time user feedback on transit and making it available to a wider audience of travellers. Currently available on iPhone and Android, it plans to add Windows 8 and other platforms in the future. Moovit i
  • November 11, 2016
    Hyperloop One to carry out feasibility study in Dubai
    Hyperloop One (H1) is partnering with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to evaluate the feasibility of building the first commercial hyperloop transportation system from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. The journey is 99 miles (159.4 km) long and normally takes about two hours by car but H1 promises it would take a mere 12 minutes in the hyperloop.