Transit system intrigues South San Francisco

For her part, Councilwoman Karyl Matsumoto expressed optimism the South San Francisco company could be a critical part of the city’s transportation infrastructure.

“These pods, if they run constantly, they can solve the last mile,” she said. “They can get us from BART to Caltrain and the ferry. And it’s doable. This is what I think is exciting.”

Vice Mayor Mark Addiego agreed, lauding the company’s vision for building a next generation transportation system.

“Your system is the system of tomorrow,” said Addiego.

Glydways is proposing building a track network on which electronic, autonomous vehicles can run. The small cars, which fit only a couple travelers, can be hailed on demand like an Uber.

Officials imagine the system, proposed to cost about $30 million to build, as a connector between public transit stops like Caltrain, BART or the ferries to concentrated job centers.

An initial rendering shows a pilot route spanning roughly 1 mile from the new Caltrain stop near downtown along Forbes Boulevard east of Highway 101 to the Genentech campus and nearby ferry terminal at Oyster Point. But other iterations show that track expanding to both the South San Francisco and San Bruno BART stations, extending the system’s reach to more than 4 miles.

The isolated system is intended to not interfere with streets reserved for cars, so the company claims it would alleviate congestion. Glydways cars are proposed to travel between 30-60 mph, with a system capacity accommodating between 2,000 and 6,000 riders.

Dubbed personal rapid transit, similar systems exist in Abu Dhabi and on the University of West Virginia campus. Beyond South San Francisco, Glydways is also in talks with East Bay city Oakley to develop a similar system connecting to the area’s BART and Amtrak station.

Focused on efficiency and affordability, the company claims rides would cost in the realm of about $2 per trip. And building the track is substantially less expensive than the investment required to build a larger scale public transportation system.

Glydways representatives noted large transit systems are declining in popularity amid the pandemic, showing the need for alternative options featuring fewer riders.

To address concerns regarding sanitation and cleanliness, Elliot Temple, of Glydways, said the system is capable of cleaning itself between rides. And because the cars are designed for few riders at a time, issues associated with social distancing are resolved.

For his part, Temple said he considered the network a realistic and viable vision for advancing public transportation safely and economically in South San Francisco.

“This is not a high in the sky idea,” he said.

Officials seemed to agree, and shared hopefulness that the company could meet its expected goal of advancing its vision over the coming year.

Mayor Rich Garbarino said he was very impressed by the proposal, and encouraged the company to keep its plans on track.

“I wish you Godspeed on this. And hopefully we are able to see something on this in the very near future,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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