3.1 MAXI-RUF performance

The MAXI-RUF is 6 m long and has room for 10 seated passengers plus a chauffeur.

It is equipped with a hybrid/electric motor so that it has unlimited range on the normal roads. If it is driven within the dense parts of a city, it will be able to run purely electric with no tailpipe emissions. On the rail it can recharge its batteries and when it runs in the suburban areas, it uses the hybrid motor to deliver the average power and the battery for delivering power for accelerations.

There is no room for standing passengers.

There is room for a wheel chair between the two front seats when the seats are tilted.

There is a door for every seat so that the access to the MAXI-RUF is ideal for elderly people, unlike a normal bus where it can be dangerous to move around in the bus to find a seat while the bus accelerates and turns.

The seats are separated, so that passengers need not worry about who is going to sit next to them. If you like privacy, you can have it. If you have company, you can use the two front seats. You will then be able to talk together while you travel.

3.2 Station layout

 

All stations in the RUF system are off-line stations. Furthermore, all platforms are parallel and all passengers move around at ground level (no elevators). The vehicles only move very slowly along the part of the platform where people can get close to it, so there is no risk of being hit by a fast moving train. This is obtained by letting the MAXI-RUFs run to the top of a small hill where it stops.

 

The redundancy of such as system is very high. If there is a problem at one platform, the rest of the system will not be affected by the problem. In a train system, the whole system will be blocked if there is a problem in one car of the train.

 

3.3 Dial-a-RUF

The MAXI-RUF is ideal for use in connection with Information Technology. Large busses are not flexible enough to run on-demand. The MAXI-RUF has the right size and up to 3 vehicles can be coupled to form an articulated bus.

Dial-a-RUF makes it possible to be transported from one place to another at the time requested , independent of the fixed timetable of the traditional systems.

The user accesses the system via telephone, PC or kiosk terminal. In the near future it will be possible to use the PC for all kind of services. One of them will be TRANSPORT.

When you have stated your transportation needs, the system responds with various options:

 

You can now choose the level of service you are willing to pay for. If you are willing to pay the highest fare, you will be picked up at your doorstep within a very short time and brought directly to your destination without transfer.

If you cannot afford this level of service, you may accept to walk to a pickup place, wait some time and to transfer several times before you get near to your destination.

Once you have selected your preferred option, the system will collect the fare electronically and you will be served according to your choice.