ANTS to solve traffic problems in Ahmedabad

Kishen Patel, a National Institute of Design (NID) graduate from Ankleshwar, has designed a new transit system for the city – Ahmedabad Nagar Transit System (ANTS) – which is based on the same principles of that of Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), but tries to solve its flaws.

Patel got the inspiration for ANTS from studying the communal behaviour of ants and the concept of collective intelligence where all the different components of the transit system work in synergy and support each other. He has studied the pros and cons of BRTS in Ahmedabad and submitted a final design of the ANTS to the NIID. The system includes design of an autonomous vehicle that can carry six people, space for a wheelchair and platform along with the route map.

Like BRTS, ANTS is also a road-based transport system. Unlike metros, which require lot of infrastructure, this transit system can utilize almost half of BRTS’s present infrastructure. Like trams it works on tracks laid down on roads but at inter-sections or crossroads it goes up like a ropeway to the second level to avoid traffic jams.