T’Naus Nieto
The Chronicle-News

The city of Trinidad is pursuing grant funding to install a “cutting-edge” elevated transit system. It wants to be one of the first U.S. cities to install this technology, which could conserve energy, reduce emissions, improve local mobility, and have a positive economic impact.

City Manager Steve Ruger told The Chronicle-News that a company called Vuba Corp approached them with a proposal to build an Automated Transit Network throughout the city.

The ATN is an aerial driverless and electric transport system lifted above the streets through guideways. Passengers could book a ride with their smartphone or at a kiosk. Each ‘PodCar’ holds up to eight people.

Rugar said, “It’s first-of-it’s-kind… It’s a good idea for the future. This could be a game changer for our community and our residents… It’s all powered by solar and electric, renewable sources… If it works, we’ll be a demonstration site for contemporary transit in the county, maybe even in the world and people will be coming here from all over to see how our systems are working… We’re trying to embrace the future.”

Ruger described the ATN as a hybrid of Uber and mass transit. He said, “It’s point to point. So, if you got on at the college station (for example) and wanted to go to the hospital, it would take you directly there without any stops.”

Vuba Corp describes the ATN as “twice as fast” as traditional transportation, with destination speeds of up to 60 mph and accident-free. The company claims, “With over 200 million passenger miles logged worldwide, ATN systems have caused zero injuries or fatalities.”

Vuba Corp also claims that the ATN would have positive economic benefits, such as saving passengers money on gas and vehicle maintenance and, although driverless, providing jobs for servicing and controlling. They also claim that the project would increase the property values of the service area. The company said, “A $97 million ATN project should uplift service area property values by approximately $768 million for a benefit-to-cost ratio of 7.9.”

When asked about the impact of the guideways throughout the city and the aesthetic against the community’s historic buildings, Rugar said, “What I like about it for Trinidad, from a historic preservation standpoint, is that the footprint on the ground is (only) about the same as a streetlight. It’s all above… I know this looks a little futuristic, but if we’re successful with this, it would be huge for tourism.”

City Clerk Audra Garrett referred to the ATN as “cutting edge” and said, “What I love about it, and we already talked to them (Vuba Corp) about it, is connecting them (the ATN guideways) to our outdoor amenities, like Fisher’s Peak or Simpson’s Rest… Imagine that for tourism.”

City officials are waiting for an award for a feasibility study grant. The federal planning grant would help identify where the stations will be, who the primary users will be, and whether the project is feasible. If awarded, the study would take place over the summer, and then the city would submit a grant application for the construction as early as fall.

Rugar said, “The grant source for this is called Reconnecting Communities. It’s a federal grant that came out last year, and it’s specifically designed for communities bisected by a highway. The goal of the program is to reconnect the community. This is not local tax dollars, necessarily.”

When asked if the transit could operate in harsh winter weather conditions, Rugar said, “Yeah, absolutely. This operates 24/7, 365, no concerns.”

Vuba Corp says, “Count on Vuba’s transportation network to operate flawlessly 24/7 in all weather conditions.”