Post by Gondola Project
A quick look at some of the things that makes suspended urban transit work (or not):
The Aerobus

Aerobus operating directly above street traffic in Mannheim's 1976 BUGA (Garden Festival)
Aerobus: Self-propelled suspended urban transit
First installation: 1970, Schmerikon, Switzerland
Distance between Aerobus tower spans: 0.6km
Distance between Peak2Peak gondola tower span: 3.0km
Only major installation: 1975, BUGA Mannheim, Germany
Bus capacity (crush): 70-80 persons
Number of incidents: 1 (Mannheim mayor evacuated via ladder during 1974 test run)
Year system completely dismantled: 1987
1980 Kuala Lumpur Aerobus proposal: Failed
2000 Chongqing Aerobus proposal: Failed
System under development: Weihai, China
Estimated cost per kilometer: $23 million
Cost per kilometer for LRT: $20-225 million
Year slated for construction completion: 2011
Number of Aerobus systems in operation today: 0
Number of suspended urban transit monorail systems in operation today: 3 (Wuppertal, Chiba, Shonan)
Want more? Purchase Cable Car Confidential: The Essential Guide to Cable Cars, Urban Gondolas & Cable Propelled Transit and start learning about the world's fastest growing transportation technologies.
Want more? Purchase Cable Car Confidential: The Essential Guide to Cable Cars, Urban Gondolas & Cable Propelled Transit and start learning about the world's fastest growing transportation technologies.