You’re not a true Miamian if you don’t complain about traffic at least once a week. Whether you’re stuck on I-95 or driving through Brickell at rush hour, getting from point A to point B isn’t easy. According to Miami Realtors, last year Miami-Dade’s population grew by 64,211 people, more than double the national average. With more newcomers every year, the traffic jams keep multiplying. One company, however, thinks it has a solution.
Glydways, an Automated Transit Network (ATN), is in talks with the City of Miami about bringing an AI-powered, on-demand transit system to the city. The company says its technology could modernize or even replace the Metromover, using the existing guideways but with a completely new approach to how people move through the city and operating at a fraction of the cost.
“We’ve been talking with people in Miami for over a year about how we can be useful,” said Brian Gettinger, senior vice president of growth at Glydways, at a media briefing in Miami this week. “Everyone knows the congestion problem, and there’s been interest for a long time in expanding the Metromover to the beach, the port, and beyond.”
READ MORE: Long-awaited Miami-Dade rapid transit launch is just around the corner
A smarter way to move
Unlike trains that group passengers into one long car stopping at every station, Glydways’ system will operate small autonomous electric vehicles that carry four to six passengers at a time. Riders will travel directly from their pickup station to their destination with no stops in between. This means a trip from Brickell to the Freedom Tower, which currently takes several stops on the Metromover, would become a single nonstop ride. The company says this model shortens wait times to under 90 seconds during peak hours and could encourage more people to choose public transit.
Each lightweight vehicle runs on a 45-kilowatt-hour electric battery, far smaller than those used in buses, and the system only operates when rides are requested, meaning no empty vehicles will loop around. While riders interact only with the Glydcars, the software manages hundreds of vehicles simultaneously, routing each trip in real time and adjusting for demand.
Although no driver is on board, humans will remain in the loop; an operations control center staffed around the clock will monitor for safety, maintenance, and support. Glydways says that approach makes its system not just more affordable to build, but also cleaner and more efficient to run.
Why Miami?
The most recent major transit investment in Miami was the $506 million, 2.4-mile Metrorail extension to Miami International Airport, completed in 2012. For Glydways, those numbers stress the opportunity to deliver new infrastructure at a fraction of the cost. “If we were going to build a new elevated system in Miami, it would be around $80 to $120 million per mile,” Gettinger said. “Metromover is going to cost less because we already have a superstructure. It’s just about decking it over.”
Glydways sees Miami-Dade as an ideal testing ground for its on-demand transit system. Gettinger said the company has been impressed by the county’s openness to exploring new technologies and finding creative solutions to long-standing transportation challenges.
“Miami is innovative by nature; it’s a melting pot of cultures and ideas,” he said. “We’re eager to participate in that kind of culture.”
This story was originally published by Refresh Miami, a WLRN News partner. Refresh Miami is the oldest and largest tech and startup community in Miami with over 16,000 members.
