Aerobus pitches mass transit system to Penang !!

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/12198-aerobus-pitches-mass-transit-system-to-penang

PENANG, Nov 11 – Aerobus International Inc, designer and operator of the aerobus transport system, has pitched its system to the state government as a solution to the perennial traffic woes.
Aerobus Malaysia Marketing and Development director Datuk Aripin Mokhtar said the system, which is far cheaper and more efficient than the Light Rail Transit (LRT) or monorail, can solve the traffic congestion problem in the island state.
He said the aerobus, which uses passenger coaches just like the LRT or monorail and runs on the elevated mass transport system, was not only cheap but also free from air and noise pollution, safe and provide comfort to travellers.
“The aerobus can run in-between buildings, can be re-aligned to run on winding stretches or hilly terrain areas.
“It is different from a monorail, which requires vast land, higher cost and is not suitable for winding and hilly terrain contours,” he told a joint media conference with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
Aripin said the aerobus, which runs on a track elevated 40 metres from the ground, can also be a tourist attraction.
He said the system is currently being installed across a lake in Weihai, China, and is slated for completion in 2010.
Aripin said the recommended aerobus system is of the fifth-generation model manufactured by a Houston-based American company, adding that it was previously used in Germany and Canada.
He said the 12-coach aerobus can carry 20,000 passengers one way in an hour with a speed of between 70km and 100km an hour.
Aripin said the company would bear the full construction cost of the system under a financing scheme to be determined later without involving any cost by the state government.
“For this mode of transport we need to install pillars to lay the cables while the aerobus can be assembled on the Penang Bridge without disrupting traffic flow,” he added.
Speaking at the same press conference, Lim said the state government would consider the the aerobus system.
He said the state government had previously received a proposal to build a monorail system in the state.
“I am happy as more choices are being offered to the people to opt for a system that is suitable, cheap, safe and comfortable,” he said.
Lim handed a letter from the state government to Aerobus International to conduct a feasibility study and submit a report in two months for the state government’s consideration.
“We are also inviting the people to give their views and feedback on the system. It is important that the public transport system that we pick must be suitable and practical to serve the people both in the island and the mainland.
“We want to have a public transport system that can be extended to the island, to Butterworth, Permatang Pauh and Bukit Mertajam,” he said.Lim said the proposed transportation system would not involve the heritage zone in the state.
He said the letter authorising Aerobus International to conduct a feasibility study did not mean the state government had agreed to the system but only that it wanted to know to what extent Penangites would benefit from the Aerobus system.– Bernama