The Problem - our 100+ year old personal transportation paradigms are challenged, with symptoms we all see, with various efforts to provide reasonably priced personal (i.e., individual) point-to-point transportation. The more difficult this is, the more difficult each person’s daily life becomes. One writer characterized the current traffic gridlock as “an insult to the soul.” Autos are still the only large-scale personal transportation. Aspects:
- Auto traffic growth = gridlock growth. Even with billions being spent on highway upgrading, enhancements, it is always way too little. The growth is just too much.
- Government funded public transportation – Billions of dollars have been spent for decades on light rail, subway, and bus technology, plus ongoing taxes – yet the result has had a negligible impact on the Problem.
- Subway – construction costs of $200-300 million per mile; plus taxes to subsidize operations.
- Light rail, buses – cheaper than subway, but slowness, right-of-way, traffic impacts give no hope.
- Can’t be made universal – you can’t tax everyone to provide a lower-cost solution to a Problem everyone has. Taxes can only transfer money from one group to another; can’t solve the Problem.
- Public sector innovation not feasible – the US DoT was formed in 1967 to fix the Problem. It funds only “proven technologies” – i.e., NOT innovations. Interest groups help keep this policy in place.
The Solution – we believe the Solution to the Problem will meet these criteria:
- Better than autos – must be faster, safer, and cheaper – even during off-peak hours.
- Provide unlimited point to point travel - individual (i.e., personal) transportation, similar to autos.
- 100% private sector funded and developed – it must be profitable to attract investors.
- Provide government revenue – it must provide revenue TO the government, not require money FROM it.
We have developed a design and
business model/plan that meets these criteria and more. We estimate it will cost between $50 and $100
million and several years to fully develop it into a ready-to-install,
reliable, fully marketable state.
Profitability from up-and-running personal transportation systems would
be even further out – well beyond the average short-term oriented investor’s
interest. To attract this kind of
investment requires a great deal of focused work, time and resources – more
than a small group of business men can hope to achieve.
Highly Leveraged Initial Investment– we seek a relatively small initial R&D investment of $250,000 to bring the current
design and business plan state up to that which will successfully attract
private investor capital at this level.
The potential leverage of this grant is truly enormous – Request
for financial assistance – The Personal Transportation Associates team seeks
assistance in finding the right contact person, in the right agency, or the right private investor source, who can facilitate an R&D grant or initial investment that will ultimately enable an entirely new industry to be created as a result - and which can solve the Problem outlined above. Contact: Paul Deis,
(818) 706-0160. Email: paul.deis@yahoo.com