Taxi of tomorrow:The space-age pods with no driver, no fumes...just a 'start' button

[Abdelmoumene]

The four-seater cab was unveiled at the Science Museum in London yesterday and will be in use from next year taking passengers between car parks and Terminal 5.

The man behind the mission, Professor Martin Lowson, who has a background in space travel and worked on the Saturn V Rocket, said: 'They could have the same effect on transport this century as the rocket had on the 19th.'

He added: 'We believe that our PRT system can transform cities in the 21st century to provide the optimum form of environmentally friendly urban transport, relieving congestion and reducing emissions.'

The bubble-shaped taxis are battery-powered and passengers select their destination from a touch screen.

They can reach speeds of up to 25mph and would travel along their own narrow road system.

Once the destination has been chosen, the control system logs the request and sends a message to the vehicle, which then follows an electronic pathway.

During the journey, a passenger can press a button to speak to the controller if necessary.

Prof Lowson has been working on the taxis with Bristol-based Advanced Transport Systems since 1995.

At Heathrow, 18 vehicles have been bought to transport passengers and their luggage from the Terminal 5 Business Car Park to the terminal, which will take between three and four minutes.

About 500,000 passengers are expected to use the Heathrow PRT system each year.

[Al-khiyal]