Convenience and safety — One of the major convenience goals is to bring the Automated Transport System as close to us, the citizen users, as is safely possible. Most everyone agrees that exercise is a good thing! But if you walk, shouldn’t it be when you want to, not because you are forced to?

illustration 30
Arriving / Departing from mass transit dock
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illustration 31
Arriving / Departing from mass transit dock

Illustration 30 and animation gives us an overview of how passengers would arrive in private vehicles to board a mass transit vehicle, and how departing passengers would exit a mass transit vehicle and walk to their private vehicle in minimum time and without ever walking in front of other cars or crossing any automated roadways.

Illustration 31 shows a side view of the mass transit dock operation. Passengers arrive at the dock in private vehicles. After all passengers are out of a vehicle, the empty car descends sharply to a lower level where it parks automatically, or in the case of leased vehicles, join a pool of cars available for use by other people. Passengers debarking from the mass transit vehicle have a safe, very short walk to a platfrom. By phone, they summon a leased car or thier pirvate vehicle , which ascends wherefor In this situation empty vehicles ascend sharply from below and stop for passengers to get in, but exit the terminal on a smooth gradual slope to prevent discomfort to anyone who might experience motion sickness

Illustration 32 depicts passengers arriving at an airport and Illustration 33 shows passengers leaving the airport. The airport arrival and departure system is similar to that used for buses, except at an airport, passengers cannot be brought right up to the aircraft and picked up right from the aircraft.

Arriving at an airport
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On weekends or holidays SHOPPING MALL parking lots get crowded, and finding a space can become time consuming and frustrating. The walk can be hot, wet, cold, or slippery depending on the weather. Walking in a lot at night can even be dangerous on rare occasions. Why risk the exposure? Illustration 34 below shows a shopping mall where customers arrivie and depart by automated vehicle. An existing MALL has accommodated the automated system by converting a vacant retail space into an indoor arrival and departure dock. Mall operators can serve thousands of additional patrons even when the parking lot is full.