Publications
Publications
- November 2009 (Revised September 2010)
- HBS Case Collection
Personal Rapid Transport at Vectus, Ltd.
By: Benjamin Edelman
Abstract
Personal Rapid Transport (PRT) vehicles—often called "driverless taxis"—sought to combine the best characteristics of cars, taxis, and trains, while adding features unavailable in any existing transportation system. Like cars and taxis, PRT vehicles carried small groups—often just a single passenger—with no need to wait for a shared vehicle to arrive or for others to board. Yet PRT followed train systems in using an exclusive right of way that avoided delays from other traffic. Where would such systems be most useful? Could system designers successfully compete with well-established networks of trains, buses, cars, and roads?
Keywords
Entrepreneurship; Network Effects; Competitive Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Transportation Networks; Transportation Industry
Citation
Edelman, Benjamin. "Personal Rapid Transport at Vectus, Ltd." Harvard Business School Case 910-010, November 2009. (Revised September 2010.) (Featured in Working Knowledge: Can Entrepreneurs Drive People Movers to Success?) (courtesy copy.)