India to launch first Pod Taxi Service between Noida Airport and Film City

Noida, India (Urban Transport News): The country's first pod taxi will run between Noida Airport to Film City. It will start running on the track as soon as the flight starts from Noida airport. Keeping in view the metro connectivity between Film City to Noida Airport, Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Limited has submitted the final DPR to Yamuna Authority on June 13, 2021 for driverless pod taxi which will run 14 km from Noida Airport to Film City.

Dr. Arunveer Singh, CEO of yida said that this DPR will now be placed before the YEIDA board, after getting approval from there it will be sent to the government. Work in this direction will go ahead after getting approval from the government.

The distance of Film City from Noida International Airport is about 5.5 kilometer, to increase its utility, it has been suggested in the DPR to take its track in the sectors of YEIDA also. This pod taxi will run between Noida Airport to Film City via YEIDA Sector 21, 28, 29, 32 and 33. Its stoppage has been fixed in every sector so that it can land on its own in any sector coming to Noida Airport from any corner of the world.

Like London's Heathrow Airport, pod taxi facility is available for air passengers at airports only in four countries of the world. Apart from London, it has been decided to develop this facility for the convenience of the passengers coming to Noida International Airport on the instructions of the State Government to provide connectivity facility for the convenience of the passengers at the airports in Dubai, South Korea and Virginia.

Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Limited will run driverless pod taxis between Noida Airport and Film City for 14 km with stoppage at Sector 21, 28, 29, 32 and 33. 

According to Mr Singh the Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Limited has given three suggestions on the PPP model to develop it according to the final DPR. These suggestions will be sent to the state government for approval after being discussed in the board meeting. With approval from the state government, the company was selected to develop it through a global tender.

To attarct tourists from all over the world, the Government of Uttar Pradesh is going to take the plan of pod taxi on the ground. Apart from this, Toy City, Apparel Park, Handicraft Park and MSME Clusters which are developing in YEIDA sectors. Their are only private vehicles till now in the name of connectivity.

The proposed metro route from Greater Noida to the airport has a stoppage at the Noida airport directly after Film City. Due to this, those working in and around Film City will have trouble in commuting to Noida Airport. Due to this, the state government has keep it in mind to take off the plan of running pod taxis between Film City and Noida International Airport.

To run the first pod taxi in the country, the state government will have to spend Rs 862 crores. 50 to 60 crores per km will have to be spent to land the pod taxi on the land of Noida. In the final DPR, an expenditure of about Rs 862 crore has been estimated for the 14 km route. If everything goes well, pod taxis will start running in Greater Noida by 2025.

The pod taxi will be built on a 60-metre road along the Yamuna Expressway on a 14 km stretch between Film City to Noida Airport. The Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation has suggested to run pod taxis by constructing this road connecting the sectors of YEIDA, the logic behind this is that with the increase in ridership, people will also be able to see the view of the show-window of UP.

Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Limited has given the final DPR to Yamuna Authority for running the 14 km long pod taxi, in which ridership has also been estimated. After the launch of pod taxi service in 2025, about 5,000 people will use it every day, next year the ridership will reach 8,000 per day.

With the development of the city site around Noida Airport, offices of multinational companies and big commercial complexes are also going to open. The film city is also going to be built in Sector 21 of YEIDA, with the presentation of the final DPR, preparations for the global tensions have started. With the creation of a film city, where film artists will also come in abundance, a tourist center will be developed in a distance of 14 km to attract tourists from all over the world.