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Transport is recognised as a critical contributor to both world energy use and environmental issues. The major part of this problem is caused by the car. It is therefore often suggested that substantial transfer to conventional public transport would offer significant mitigation of the problem. Official data from the US DOE, and from parallel analysis in Europe, show that the difference in energy and emissions level between various existing forms of transport compared on a passenger mile basis is small. This indicates that there is little scope for sustainability benefits by transfer from car to conventional public transport. This paper considers a new transport system ULTra (Urban Light Transport) centred on fully automated electric vehicles, meeting the need for urban transport which is both effective and sustainable. In contrast to previous forms of public transport, there is no waiting, no stopping and no transfers within the system. In many circumstances, it can offer better urban transport than available by other means. ULTra is also complementary to existing forms of transport. By providing a network link to major rail or bus stations, it can improve the attraction of existing transport services. ULTra has been designed to demanding sustainability requirements. Because the system is electrically powered, there is zero emission in the city, but overall energy and emissions are substantially less than for other forms of motorised transport. The average primary system energy usage is 0.55MJ per passenger km. The typical benefit compared with cars is over 75%. Importantly, in peak periods when cars (and buses) are restricted by congestion this benefit rises to 90%. Detail studies undertaken under the EC EDICT contract for an application in Cardiff show that a net saving of 41 million MJ pa by the projected transfer from current transport to an ULTra system.
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