Country’s first driverless pod taxi will start in Noida and Mumbai, know the route, fare and features

New Delhi. To overcome the problem of urban traffic and last-mile connectivity in the country, the government is preparing to launch driverless pod taxi service soon. This will be India’s first Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) based pod taxi project, which is planned to be launched first from Noida and Mumbai.

According to senior officials of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, ground level work has started on this ambitious project in Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai in Maharashtra. The government aims to provide fast, convenient and jam-free travel between airports, metro stations and commercial areas.

Connectivity from Jewar Airport to Film City in Noida

In Noida, this service will connect the Noida International Airport at Jewar with the Film City being developed in Sector-21 and surrounding industrial areas like Toy Park and Textile Park. The government aims to open this project for passengers by mid-2028.

The estimated fare for pod taxi can be around Rs 8 per kilometre. However, the final fare will be decided at the time of commencement of operations.

Emphasis on last-mile connectivity in Mumbai’s BKC

The pod taxi project is progressing rapidly in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to ease travel from metro and local stations to offices. The construction work has started after the Bhoomi Pujan of the first phase of the project was performed by the Maharashtra Government in April 2026.

What will be the specialty of pod taxi?

This will be a driverless and completely electric taxi, in which 4 to 6 passengers will be able to travel at a time. All pods will be air-conditioned and will run at a maximum speed of 40 kilometers per hour. There is a plan to provide pods to passengers every 5 minutes.

Its biggest feature will be that it will work like a lift. The passenger will select his/her destination at the station and the pod will stop only at that station and not at intermediate stops.

Operation will be done with AI and sensor technology

Pod taxi will be based on two modern technologies. The sensors installed in it will identify the obstacles coming in the way, which will reduce the chances of accidents. At the same time, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computer algorithms will decide how many pod taxis are needed on which route.

These will be operated from the central control room and will run on elevated guideway tracks 5 to 10 meters high from the ground.

The system will be environmentally friendly

This battery-based service will be based on zero-carbon emission system. Rubber tires or magnetic tracks will be used in this, which will reduce noise and will also help in controlling pollution.

Pod taxis are already running in these cities of the world

Pod taxi system is already active in many countries of the world. Ultra PRT has long operated at London’s Heathrow Airport. Apart from this, this technology is also being used in West Virginia University of America, Masdar City of Abu Dhabi, Suncheon of South Korea and Chengdu of China.

If the project is successful in Noida and Mumbai, it can also be expanded to busy areas of big cities like Bengaluru, Delhi and Hyderabad in future.