�info@taxi2000.com(763)7�7-43�0www.skywebexpress.com

IntroducIngSkywebexpreSS®

SkywebExpressispersonalrapidtransit.Passengersridenon-stoptotheirdestinationinsmall3-adultvehicles.Unlikeotherformsofmasstransit,thevehiclewaitsforthepassenger,sothereisnotimelostwaitingforthebusortrain.PRTmovesmorepeoplemorerapidlyusinglessspaceandforlessmoneythananyotherformofmasstransit.

SkywebExpressistheidealPRTsystembecauseofitsuniquefeatures: Independentlyevaluatedandverified

controlsystem.HoneywellAerospace,makersofsomeofthemostadvancedcontrolsystemtechnologyintheworld,foundnopracticalflawsinthecontrolsystem.

Elevatedguidewaysgoanywherewithoutinterferingwithbuses,people,trains,bicycles,orcars.Noneedtotearuproads,parks,orbuildings.SkywebExpressblendsintoacommunityinsteadofoverwhelmingit.

Guidewaypostspacingprovidesadditionalroomforaccesstogreenspaceandotherlandscape.

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“The European Commission has studied four potential schemes, and concluded that hesitant local authorities are the only significant obstacle.” The Economist - March 10, 2007, Technology pp 10-12

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Modularsystemallowseasyexpansion.Expansiondoesnotinterferewiththeexistingsystem.Easyaccessanduseforpeoplewithdisabilities.

Taxi2000hasthetoolsandstaffnecessarytosupportanyplanningstudy.Weuseourverifiedcontrolsystemtoproducesimulationsusingdatarelevanttotheplanneddevelopment(samplemapbelow).

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capacIty Industrybestheadway(0.5secondsbetweenpassengervehicles).ThisgivesSkywebExpressa

capacityequivalenttothreelanesoffreewaytraffic—threetimesthecapacityofanyotherPRTsystem.

Freightvehicleheadwayat2.5secondsisbetterthanpassengervehicleheadwayforothersystems.

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Syst

em (L

ine)

Cap

acit

y (P

asse

nger

s/H

our)

Vehicle Type

PRT1-3 Passengers

GRT20-40 Passengers

Train100-1000 Passengers

100,000

5000

10000

15000

ultra(3000)

20000

Skyweblow(10000)

Skywebhigh(20000)

morgantown(5000)

lightrail(5000)

heavyrail(10000-50000)

25000

3

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rIderShIpAsignificantridershipisnecessarytojustifyanymasstransitsystem.Theoutputtableonpage5showsaridershipstudyconductedbyWilburSmithAssociatesdemonstratingtheridershipadvantagesofSkywebExpress.Thisparticularstudywasforamunicipalitywithnearly1,000trafficanalysiszonesandaprojectedlocalpopulationofnearly�.8millionpeople.ThestudyconcludeddemandforSkywebExpresswouldbemorethan84,000tripsperpeakperiodandupto250,000,000transittripsperyear,whichwas24%oftheexpectedtransportationdemand.

Tooptimizesystemlayoutsandfleetsize,Taxi2000performsaniterativeevaluationusingourprofessionalplanningtool,TrakEdit.Thisisourproprietarysoftware.Itallowsourclientstoevaluatemanydifferentscenariostofindthebestpossiblenetworksolutionanditsprobableridershipimplications.TrakEditisbasedonacontrolsystemwhoseviabilityisalreadyconfirmed.

Riderswillusepublictransitonlyifitgoeswheretheyneedtogo.TheSkywebExpresssystemhastheabilitytoprovidethatlevelofservice,evenoverlongdistances,duetoitsin-trackpowersource.Thismeansnodifficultiesinexpandingorcreatinglongerroutes.SkywebExpressofferstheconvenienceofpersonaltransitwithoutthetrafficcongestion.

“Riders will use public transit only if it goes where they need to go.”

5info@taxi2000.com(763)7�7-43�0www.skywebexpress.com

Wilbur Smith Associates Study 2007

In a metropolitan area of approximately 1.8 million people: Up to 84,000 vehicles off the road every hourOperating Profit

Scenario Number1

23

45

67

89

1011

12unitcost*Parking

$1.10 $1.10

$1.10 $1.10

$1.10 $1.10

$1.10 $1.10

$1.10 $1.10

$1.10 $1.10

Skyweb Express $0.55

$0.55 $0.55

$0.55 $0.82

$1.10 $1.90

$0.55 0.55*(1+(walkdist)^2)

PRT dist*0.5$0.55

$0.55 autocharacteristicsAuto Person Trips

236,816240505

252608252516

264568275502

298681258290

246984273412

252608244791

Auto Person Trips along PRT Route97057

100969101761

113438126204

137785162338

119491117361

134946113536

113537Auto Vehicle Trips

223172227050

227050239326

252024263551

288001245357

235488260565

239424232661

Vehicle Occupancy1.1

1.11.1

1.11

11

1.11

11.1

1.1Distance Travelled (Km)

40320554056646

40566464180246

42619674339706

45055824225084

42136974410402

41804227007338

Travel Time (Hours)57188

5779957799

6085363316

6583372099

6214461830

6838860861

57456SkywebexpresscharacteristicsTrack Length (Km

2)275

275275

275275

275275

275275

275275

275Person Trips

8542781738

6963569727

5767846741

2356263953

7370048830

6963876397

Vehicle Trips84794

8113969325

6941757433

4655623489

6370165693

4881369325

69325Vehicle Occupancy

11

11

11

11

1.11

11.1

Distance Travelled (Km)956667

911813911813

696184557806

434154176880

619027861578

281387695201

866660Travel Time (Hours)

1594415197

1519711603

92977236

294810317

143594690

1158714444

% Riders Using Skyweb in Region27

2522

2218

157

2023

1522

24% Riders Using Skyweb near route

4745

4138

3125

1335

3927

3840

environmentalIssues

Automobile Energy Consumption (liters)573565

576674576674

592185603056

613699638281

597936567538

624316592227

570318Automobile Output HC (Kg)

8404784984

8498484984

8498484984

8498492001

85099102181

8989684892

Automobile Output CO (Kg)9209

92939293

92939293

92939293

99049208

1073479728

9220Automobile Output NOX (Kg)

52085226

52265226

52265226

52265345

51345470

53165167

Total number of people in vehiclesActual number of vehicles usedTotal percentage of potential riders using systemPercentage of potential riders who live near network and use system* Original study was done in a different currency

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theSkywebexpreSScontrolSyStemThecontrolsystemarchitecturemakesSkywebExpressefficientinlayoutsassmallasafewkilometersoraslargeas300kilometers(seeIndependentEvaluationonpage7).ThiscontrolsystemisaTaxi2000proprietarysoftwareapplicationthatmonitors,manages,andcontrolstheSkywebExpressnetworkofvehiclesandguideway.

Taxi2000hassimulationsoftware(TrakEdit)toallowdesignandevaluationofaSkywebExpresslayout.TrakEditallowsTaxi2000todesignsystemswithacomplexlayoututilizingthousandsofvehiclesandmanykilometersofguidewaywithstationslocatedthroughoutthesystem.TrakEditallowsstationstobebiasedtowardshavingmorevehiclesarrivingordepartingandallowsunbalancedsystemloadsthatmightbeexpectedduringamorningcommute.

Taxi2000alsohasadynamicworkingmodelknownastheAlphaControlSystemor“Alpha.”Alphaisa�/�5thscalesystemwith20electricallypoweredvehiclesmovingalongatwo-loop,three-stationtrack.Thevehiclepositionsaremeasuredwithmagneticmarkerslocatedalongthetrackthatsensevehiclewheelencoders.Alphausesawirelesscommunicationsystembetweenvehiclesandthecontrolsystem.

alphaSystemTheAlphasystemshowcasestheSkywebExpresscontrolsystem.Thecontrolsystemdirects20physicalvehicleswith3off-linestations,useswirelesscommunications,andisshownintandemwiththeTrakEditsoftware.Thelinespeedisapproximately0.7meterspersecondorascaledequivalentof40mph.Fasterspeedsareobtainableinanactualsystemdependingonnetworklayout.

Thesystemdemonstrates: Multiplevehiclecontrolonanexclusiveguideway. Safemergeanddivergeoperations. Vehiclecontrolatsafeheadways. Effectiveuseofwaysidemarkerstocalibratevehicleposition. Accuratealgorithmsfordeterminingdemand. Controlsystemcommunicationswiththevehiclesareinrealtime.

TheTaxi2000controlsystemspecificationswereusedtoconstructtheTrakEditprogram.ThissimulationtoolhasbeenpartoftheTaxi2000proprietarytechnologyforover�5years.ThecontrolsystemwasappliedtoAlphatodemonstratesafevehicleoperationatsmallheadways.Thecontrolsystemdirectsthevehiclestoandfromthethreestationsaccordingtoarandomlygenerateddemandtable.Anavailablevideodemonstrates20vehiclesat�:�5scalerunningonatrackwithtwoloops,threestations,andonemaintenance/storagefacility.

AlphaplayedakeyroleinvalidatingtheSkywebExpresscontrolsystemsoftware.Ourcontrolsystem,TrakEdit,andAlphaallowedHoneywellAerospacetoperformanindependentcontrolsystemevaluation.

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thehoneywellaerospaceIndependentevaluationresults* AfterathoroughevaluationoftheTaxi2000controlsystem,HoneywellAerospaceconcluded

therearenoconceptualflaws.Theystateitisreasonabletoassumethedevelopmentofanoperational(commercial)systemwillmeettherequirementsandreplicatethecurrentperformanceandoperatingparameters.Detailssupportingthisconclusionareasfollows:

Thecontrolsystemarchitectureissensible,basedonmultiplesubsystems(inthiscase,acentralcontroller,multiplezonestations,andvehiclecontrollers).

Thecommandstoaccomplishmaneuversareflexibleenough,atthisstageofdevelopment,tohandleavarietyofscenariosbecausethemovementcommandsarespecifiedbycorrectkinematicrelationships.

Theexistingalgorithmsandlogictomergeanddivergevehiclesisdevelopedtoanappropriatelevel.

Theuseofmagneticmarkerscombinedwithwheelencodersforpositionalnavigationisviable.

TrakEditandAlphademonstrate,ataveryhighlevel,thatthecontrolsystemconceptiscapableofhandlinglargeandfairlycomplicatedtrafficnetworks.Thesimulationsdonotrevealanytrafficplanningissuesthatcouldprohibitscalingtoanoperational(commercial)system.

AmajorfocusoftheSkywebExpresssystemisintheareaofsafety.HoneywellevaluatedtheabilityoftheSkywebExpresscontrolsystemtomaintainasafeheadwayinanactualoperatingscenario.Quotingfromtheirreport: “there are no inherent limitations in the control system architecture or algorithmic complexities that preclude the ability to achieve a headway as low as 0.5 seconds.”

Byoperatingamultiplevehiclemultiplestationscalemodel,thecontrolsystemspecificationsaddsomethingnewtotransportationfeasibilitystudiesanddemonstratethecapabilityoftheSkywebExpresstransportationsystemandtheTaxi2000technology.

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“There are no inherent limitations in the control system architecture or algorithmic complexities that preclude the ablity to achieve a headway as low as 0.5 seconds”

*Evaluation completedApril30,2007

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FeaSIbIlItyStudyTaxi2000recentlycompletedafeasibilitystudyfortheimplementationofalargescalesystemwhereridershipestimateswereasmuchas85,000tripsperpeakhour.OurTrakEditsimulationprogramandAlphaplayedakeyroleinthisstudy.

ridershipTheridership,aspartofthefeasibilitystudy,basedondatageneratedinanEMME/2(civilengineeringsoftware)modelwithapproximately�,000TransportationAnalysisZones(TAZ)generatedtheridershipsimulationusedbyTaxi2000.Thedatawasusedtoevaluatetheroute,numberofvehicles,stationsizesineachTAZ,waittimeatastation,andguidewaysaturation.Taxi2000usedthisdatatooptimizetheSkywebExpresssystem.Aftermultipleiterationsanoptimalsystememerged.Thisinformationwasthenusedtotestridershipsensitivitytoissuessuchaswalkingdistancetostations,farepricing,andtransferringtootherformsoftransit,includingautomobiles.ThisdatawasappliedtotheTrakEditsimulationtoolandmultipleridershipscenarioswerecreatedaspartofthefeasibilitystudy.

Theridershipdataalsoplaysacriticalroleinthedecision-makingprocesswhenevaluatingSkywebExpressasitrelatestoimplementationcosts.Optimizingthesystemleadstothecalculationofameaningfulcoststructure.ThiscoststructurefortheSkywebExpresssystemcanbecomparedtothenumberofanticipatedridersversusthenumberofridersusingotherformsoftransportation.Thisreinforcessystemvalueandthecomparisonisvalidaslongasthesimulationisaccurate.

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theVehIcleTheSkywebExpressvehicleisaestheticallypleasingandhighlyfunctional.Thecabiniscomfortableandroomyenoughforthreeadults.Thecabinusesguidewaypowertoheatorcoolthevehicle.Thereisalsospaceforluggage,groceries,shoppingbags,orotheritems.

thecabinTheentranceandavailablefloorspacemakeitcompletelyhandicapaccessibleasdefinedbytheAmericanswithDisabilitiesAct(ADA).Ofcourse,thecabincanberemodeledasnecessarytocomplywithlocalorregionalstandards.

Thepassengerinterfacecontainsthreeactionbuttons;“Go,”“NextStop,”and“Emergency.”Apassengerpushesthe“Go”buttonafterconfirmingthedestinationontheinternalscreen.Thiscausesthedoortocloseandthetripbegins.Pushing“NextStop”programsthevehiclestopatthenextstation.Passengersmightusethisbecausetheychosethewrongdestination,orperhapsforgotsomething.Pushing“Emergency”contactsthecentralcontrolstation,allowingthestafftocommunicatedirectlywiththepassengerstodeterminethenatureoftheemergencyandthepropercourseofaction.

Theupperscreendisplaysthecurrentrouteanditsprogress.Thelowerscreendisplaysadvertisementsoranyotherinformationthemunicipalitychooses.

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thechassis

Thechassisuseslinearinductionmotors(LIM).LIMpropulsionoffersmanyadvantagesoveranyothersystem:

Therearefewermovingparts,meaninglessmaintenancecost. TheLIMsprovidetheprimary

brakingsystem.Thisreducesmaintenancecostandaddstosafety. LIMpropulsionisnotimpededbyatmosphericconditionssuchasmoisture,dust,andsalt. TheLIMsarepoweredbyacontinuouselectricalsource,theydonotrequirerecharging.

Thismeansfarfewervehiclesarerequiredtoachievehighridershipcapacityandlongrangetransportcapability.EachoftheseadvantagesmakesSkywebExpresscosteffective,environmentallyefficient,andhighlyadaptive.

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ActualchassisinoperationatourResearchandDevelopmentfacility.

Skyweb Express is cost effective, environmentally efficient, and highly adaptive.

��info@taxi2000.com(763)7�7-43�0www.skywebexpress.com

StatIonSStationsrangeinsizefrom3-berthstationsto12-berthstations,andcanbeconstructedoutsideorbuiltintoanexistingstructure.Whenapassengerarrivesatthestation,heorsheswipesafarecardthroughthereader,entersthedestinationcode,andthengetsintothewaitingvehicle.Onceinsidethevehicle,thepassengerconfirmsthedestinationonthescreenandpresses“Go.”Thedoorclosesandthecontrolsystemtakesover,sendingthepassengersnon-stoptotheirdestination.

Asstationsizeincreases,sodoesitscapacity.Seethetablebelow.

Off-LineStationCapacityBerths VehiclesperHour3 350-4506 675-775� �50-�050�2 ��50-�250

capacityexample:Asimple10Kmnetworkwith20stations.Assumethenetworkhasfive3-berthstations,five6-berthstations,five9-berthstations,andfive12-berthstations.Thissystemcanhandleupto�5,000tripsperhour.Thatisnearly�5,000vehiclesperhourthatareNOTontheroad.

Thesestationscanbebothfunctionalandaestheticallypleasing.Theyalsoaremodular,sotheycanbeexpandedinthefutureasridershipincreases.Modularityisasignificantpartoftheguidewaytechnologydescribedlaterinthisbrochure.

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communIcatIonSTheSkywebExpresscommunicationsystemfulfillsthreefunctions.First,itallowsautomaticcommunicationbetweenthecontrolsystemandthevehicles.Second,itallowstwo-wayaudiocommunicationbetweenpassengersandcontrolcenterstaff.Finally,itallowsthesystemtoprovidevideoadvertisementsorentertainmenttothepassengers.

CommunicationbetweenpassengersandCentralControlpersonnelistwo-wayforaudioandcanbeinitiatedbyeitherparty.Videoisdeterminedwhenthepassengerswipestheircard.Thesystemdetermineswhatshouldbeshownbasedonthelengthoftheirtripandtheirdestination.

Usingarealtimeserver,thesystemmeetsthespecificationsrequiredtoallowthe0.5secondheadwayandisredundant.Thecommunicationsspecificationalsoincludesarequirementforpreventingoutsidebreachesorinterference.

“The materials required to achieve the required specifications are commercial off the shelf (COTS) technologies.” -Honeywell-

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theguIdewayTheSkywebExpressguidewayallowsformodularchangesandexpansiontothesystemsoitcangrowandchangetofitacommunity’schangingneeds.Aseriesofpostsplacedanywherefrom15to30metersapartsupportatrusscarryingthevehicles.Thetrussesareapproximatelyonemeterwideandonemetertall.Acoverprotectsthemfromweatherandvandalismandmakesthesystemmoreaestheticallypleasing.

Themostsignificantfeatureoftheguidewaysystemisitsmodularity.Thismeansasystemcanstartsmallandexpandorchangewithtime.Forexample,arecentSkywebExpressfeasibilitystudybeginswitha�0Kmnetworkandexpandsovertimetonearly300Km.Thisallowsthesystemtoadapttomunicipalgrowth.Justasimportantly,changingandexpandingthesystemdoesnotrequireshuttingdownlargeportionsofthenetwork.

Stabilityforthesystemisprovidedbybuildingareinforcedconcretebaseandsinkingitintotheground.Thenthesupportpostisboltedintotheconcrete.Thisprovidesanextremelystablesupportsystemthatisalsoeasytoadjust.

Theguidewaycoversfillmanyfunctions.Itprotectsboththeguidewayandthevehiclechassisfromdebris,helpspreventvandalism,andallowsthemunicipalitytomakethesystemmorevisuallypleasing.

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powerSkywebExpressusesaredundantin-trackpowersuppliedbythemunicipality’sexistingpowergrid.Anon-boardbatterycanpowerthevehicleintheeventofasystem-widepoweroutage.Asanalternative,amunicipalitymayselectadifferentbackuppowersource.ThiscombinationmeansSkywebExpressvehiclescantravelnearlyanydistancewithoutcompromisingsafetyorreliability.In-trackpoweralsoprovidestheclimatecontrolledcomfortpassengersrequire.Thefollowingtabledescribesthreedifferentpowerusagescenarioswithclimatecontrolledvehicles:

18kmSystem

275kmlowdemand

275kmhighdemand

TripKm/Year 75,300,000 �52,��0,000 2,8�6,640,000

AnnualElectricalConsumption

—VehicleKwH/Year

25,884,705 327,5��,000 �68,220,000

AnnualElectricalConsumption

—BuildingKwH/Year

6,68�,833 46,464,300 58,560,300

AnnualElectricalConsumption—TotalKwH/

Year

32,566,538 374,055,300 1,026,780,300

Accordingtoarecentfeasibilitystudy,the�,026,780,300KwHperyearisapproximately4%ofthetotalpowergridfortheMunicipalareaof�.8millionpeople.Thisis66%lesspowerperpassengermilethanLRT.

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greentechnology

SkywebExpressisagreentechnology.SkywebExpresswillhelpmeetasignificantsustainabilitychallengeusingtechnologythatiscommerciallyavailabletoday.Vehicletrafficisoneofthehumancontributorstothecontinuedgrowthofgreenhousegases,includingcarbondioxide(CO2),inurbanregions.Vehicletrafficcontinuestoincrease.

Eachgallonofgasolineburnedaddsnearly20poundsofCO2totheatmosphere.IntheUnitedStates,motorizedvehiclesareamajorcontributortoairpollution.Thesevehiclesproduce63%ofthekeychemicals(carbonmonoxide,nitrogenoxide,andhydrocarbons)thatcausesmogandhealthproblems.

SkywebExpressusescommerciallyavailabletechnology.BuildingaSkywebExpresssysteminanurbansettinghasthepotentialtosignificantlyreduceCO2andotheremissionsintheenvironment.Arecenttransportationstudyforanurbanareaof�.8millionpeopleconcludedthat24%ofallvehicletrips–or250millionvehicletripsperyear–wouldbeaccommodatedbySkywebExpress.Thisreductionisestimatedatover80milliongallonsofgasolineperyearandareductionofover�.5billionpoundsofCO2emissionseachyear.

roadreduction

Buildingroadsisagrowingpartofeverycommunitybudget.Thisusesnaturalresourcestomakeasphalt,cement,concrete,andpaint.ItalsocreatespollutionintheformofVOCs,fuelexhaust,andothersolidandgaseouswaste.AsingleSkywebExpresssystemcaneliminatetheneedforuptothreefreewaylanemilesforeverySkywebExpressmilebuilt.

SmallertransportationFootprintSkywebExpressleavesasmallertransportationfootprintthanafreeway.TheSkywebExpressguidewayisonlyfivefeetwide.Alongwitheliminatingtheneedforthreelanesofhighway,SkywebExpressalsoreducestheneedforparkingspaces.Allofthisislandwhichcanbeusedinmoreenvironmentallyfriendlyways.ThefollowinggraphicsshowSkywebExpresscompressingvastfreewayuseintoasmallarea.

�6 info@taxi2000.com(763)7�7-43�0www.skywebexpress.com

Skyweb Express offers the convenience of personal transit without the traffic congestion.

These vehicles produce 63% of the key chemicals (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbons) that cause smog and health problems.

For Additional Information:Taxi2000Corporation

8050UniversityAvenueNorthFridley,Minnesota55432

Phone:(763)7�7-43�0E-mail:info@taxi2000.com

Internet:www.skywebexpress.com

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