Seems like good timing for this sort of thing: Web Link

Highly relevant op-ed. "...it is our duty as residents to keep the city at the forefront of innovation, while simultaneously addressing one of the major crises facing our region." - couldn't agree more. Pittsburgh has already taken a huge step with the uber self driving pilot program. As a mountain view resident with a short commute I would welcome any program of this sort, which ideally would mean one less driver on our already crowded roads. If VTA won't step forward into the realities of our changing transportation ecosystem it's up to us to make it happen anyway.

VTA thinks the solution is to remove lanes and then force everyone onto a bus that runs up and down El Camino. That's their plan for the future, so yah, get out of the way VTA, progress coming through.

Pod cars sound fun, but there will be some negative impact to someone and then all hell will break loose. The only reasonable plan I've seen so far is to create shared/group transit only lanes on all major roads. The BRT is a good one and there should be others built out too.

How about a partnership with Caltrain and Left to give free transit pass to any Mountain View resident to any Caltrain station?

? How would these systems tie in to the VTA Bus Rapid Transit? What is the current VTA Bus Rapid Transit (BRT lanes) transit opinions of the candidates for Council?

Are VTA (and BRT exclusive lanes) champions like Margaret Abe-Koga (TIRED and True) willing to concede any role to this type of competitive free-market type of idea? What about the other 2016 city council candidates?

This idea is more realistic than "pod rail" or whatever that untested sort-of-waco idea was a few years ago. At least we know that several very major global companies are willing to invest hundreds of millions of dollars each, on this type of project. Maybe this type of RFP, private companies, private capital, open competition idea could work.