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The UP Government's plans to connect the new upcoming Noida International Airport (Jewar) have been approved. Also, there will be Business and Entertainment Centres on the Yamuna Expressway. Due to this, global tenders could build India's First Rapid Transit (PRT) project.

The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) prepared a detailed report. So far, the estimated cost for the 14.6 km corridor is Rs. 640 Crore. As public transport, pod taxis have not been used in India. With time, the Yamuna Expressway corridor will become the longest in the world for a PRT. The YEIDA CEO Arun Vir Singh has said that the Pod taxi project had been approved by the State Government in a meeting with the bid evaluation committee in Lucknow. About the Global Tenders, he said that they are expected within a week time frame the deal will be sealed.

"However, there are hardly five to six companies in the world that hold expertise in developing pod taxi systems in India and, so far, all of them have expressed interest in the upcoming project in India," Sing said. He further added that the land for the Yamuna Expressway corridor has been bought.

The Pod taxi will open doors of avenues for both tourism and industry. Now, when the people will be landing at Noida International Airport, they'll be visiting the Handicraft Park, MSME Park, Apparel Park in Sector 29, Industrial Units in Sector 32, and Toy Park.

"During a layover at the NIA, people at the airport can go to the proposed International Film City in sector 21 along with the amusement park out there. It will be a complete game changer for everyone." Singh added.

A YEIDA Senior Official has told TOI that there two major components, Land Availability and Passengers are the key elements for the success of the project. "We have both of them here, " the official said, an estimate that rides on the airport becoming operational late in 2024. For the PRT - YEIDA has approved the detailed report of Rs.641 Crores. Following this, the project was presented before the State Government Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Bid Evaluation Committee in January.

The panel has asked the YEIDA to study the pod taxi operational projects of different countries and submit a report. So, the department then brought the Indian Port Rail and Ropeway Corporation Limited (IPRCL) on board and contacted the London (Heathrow Airport), Abu Dhabi (Masdar City), and South Korea (Suncheon) agencies running similar transit systems. 12 stations will be there at the Jewar to Sector 21 Corridor. The First Phase will have 101 pods running on the track. In 20 mins, the journey will be completed as per the officials of DPR.

The Pod taxis will be centrally controlled and are air-conditioned cars designed to carry 4 to 6 passengers at a maximum speed of 40 ms per hour. Destinations are pre-programmed whereas the passengers can use the pods using the swipe cards.