Six states in India are in talks to build personal rapid transport systems (PRTs) to operate futuristic driverless pod taxis. These autonomous vehicles could change the face of public transport in the country. This initiative by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is an effort to streamline public transport to be more efficient and cost effective. Maharashtra, Kerala, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Bihar may soon see this technology in action. The pods can be used by a small group of commuters and can reach speeds of up to 60 km/hr. What’s even better is that a ride in the pod taxi would be no costlier than a metro journey. The pods will come and go from designated stations and will involve ropeway-like systems with driverless pods that run on electricity. Rajasthan may see a 4.7 km pod taxi route between Ajmer railway station and Ajmer Dargah. Maharashtra’s taxi-link will be in Bandra Kurla Complex. But the first to adopt this technology will be Gurugram in Haryana. The total cost of the project in North India is expected to be around Rs 4,000 crore and will enable travelling in a driverless pod in the National Capital Region. The project is expected to start from Dhaula Kuan in Delhi to Manesar in Haryana — a 70-km stretch which is expected to decongest the NH-8 highway. The first phase of the project is expected to cover the Gurgaon-Delhi border to Badshapur Mod.