Ultra Global PRT, the creators and operators of the Heathrow pod, the unique driverless, electric powered new transport system has just received the “Innovation of the Year” award at the AirRail News 2012 Awards in Stockholm.
For the nine specialist international judges from air and rail industries, Ultra Global PRT was a stand-out Innovation winner with its Heathrow pod, the pioneering, on-demand transport service. Their view was that the award recognized, “the Heathrow pod’s true innovation and design excellence, its economic, business, environmental and social benefits and unique customer experience”.
Bristol based Ultra faced stiff competition from companies around the world at the Global AirRail Awards, the first ever international awards ceremony dedicated to the air-rail market to recognise the best practice in world-wide intermodal travel.
For Ultra Global, this accolade comes hot on the heels of Innovation Award wins from the 2012 Business Parking Awards and London Transport 2012 Awards and being shortlisted in the Climate Week Awards and is further recognition of the system’s success and popularity with customers.
Boasting reliability figures of over 99%, a wait time of usually less than 30 seconds from programming and entering the pod to the journey start, on a direct 5 minute journey, with no-stopping for other passengers, traffic or traffic lights on each trip, it’s easy to see why enthusiastic customer and media reviews are being endorsed with numerous awards.
Accepting the award, Ultra Global PRT’s Bid Manager, Dr John Hammersley said, “This is recognition of the work of all of my colleagues in delivering an innovative
new way of moving passengers around quickly, directly and without creating any form of environment harming emissions. The fun and funky pods have endeared
themselves to passengers, who respond in glowing terms. At the moment, they’re only in operation in Heathrow, but where London leads, others are busy following and plans are afoot to install a system of 240 pods in Amritsar India by 2014. We’re also working with Government’s and private organisations and developers in many other parts of the world to look at installing PRT systems.”