Automated 'pods' ferrying passengers within private estates, university campuses and business parks could arrive in a big way, with a new joint venture announced yesterday, reported The Straits Times.

Local transport operator SMRT and Netherlands-based 2getthere have formed 2getthere Asia - an outfit to bring such automated vehicle systems into Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. This joint venture is 51 percent owned by SMRT and 49 percent by 2getthere. By the end of the year, 2getthere Asia could showcase what it calls a group rapid transit (GRT) vehicle - an air-conditioned, 24-passenger 'pod' - in a live setting here.

While the GRT will not ply public roads, it can work in what 2getthere calls a 'semi-controlled' environment, in which the behaviour and speeds of other road users can be managed. Travelling at up to 40km/h, it can pick up and drop off passengers at designated stops.

2getthere has already installed similar automated vehicle systems in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, and the Rivium Business Park in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. As the GRT will not require drivers and can be ordered on demand, it is touted to be safer and more resource-efficient.