What if, in addition to flying cars, there were another air travel solution to traffic? This is the goal of the company uSky Transport, which opened a suspended pod station in Sharjah, a city neighbouring Dubai, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, in June. The goal is to test transportation that moves through the sky while connected to electrical wires, which would free up traffic on streets and avenues.

The wagons, called uCar, have large windows, seats, and cameras to prevent accidents. They are similar to the cable cars we are familiar with in Brazil, but much faster and can transport up to four passengers at a speed of up to 150 kilometres per hour.

According to the company, this vehicle´s network throughout the city could transport 10,000 people every 60 minutes. The goal is to reduce transportation on land to reduce traffic and polluting emissions, while increasing space for vegetation and leisure, declared uSky Transport.

The alternative would also be more economical. According to the company, while building a kilometre of subway could cost up to 150 million dollars, in the new system, it would cost 10 million dollars.

By the end of the year, uSky plans to have expanded the length of its test station from the current 400 metres to 2.4 km mixing freight and passenger pods. The company predicts that the system will be part of people´s daily routine in the United Arab Emirates by 2024.

There are plans to expand the technology to other countries, including India, Pakistan, the United States, and Canada.

Questions
1) Which of the options below is true?
a) The uCar is transportation powered by solar energy.
b) Pods can reach a speed of 150 kilometres per hour.
c) The testing station is currently 2.4 kilometres long.
d) The system should be available in Brazil in 2024.

2) What traffic problems in your city could improve with suspended pods?

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