News

CyberTran’s Ultra Light Rail Transit Will Pay for Itself

Published

10 years ago

August 2, 2016

Special to the Post

Imagine public transit that costs a quarter of the cost of light rail to buy, paid for itself out of the fare box and was able to transport as many people per hour as a BART system, moved from point to point in half the time of conventional rail, and was totally powered by solar energy generated on the canopy over the right of way.

BART, one of the most cost efficient rail operations in the United States, with 64 percent of its operating and maintenance costs derived from earnings (fares etc.), could become even more cost effective if end-of-line feeder services provided fare-paying passengers to load otherwise empty vehicles.

CyberTran’s 20-passenger vehicles will take passengers direct to their destinations, load and offload at offline stations so the main lines are not slowed by slowing and stopped vehicles, and thus maintain an average speed nearly twice that of conventional rail.

The vehicles will need only lightweight (and therefore inexpensive) structures that can be blended into the urban environment, where stations can be outside –or even inside the second- or third-floor of buildings.

Because a fresh start can be made, the rail can be at the center of Transit Oriented Development instead of being at the fringe (imagine Disney World Hotels for example).

Because the capital cost is under $25 million per mile (compared to typical Light Rail at $100 million and heavy rail in the range of $200 million to $400 million), the capital costs of Ultra-Light Rail can be paid out of land value increases caused by the developments around the stations, and not fall on federal, state and local tax payers, as is the current model of rail transit.

In addition to these benefits to taxpayers, there is also a significant gain in good paying jobs. Though the system will be driverless, the extensive unsubsidized systems will require more maintenance personnel per mile than conventional transit that requires drivers and maintenance staff to service the high tech systems at the core of the railway.

Since CyberTran intends to build its vehicles in Richmond for systems in the United States, there will be full time and long standing production jobs.

As the Ultra-Light Rail System grows organically, it will solve the three problems besetting conventional transit:

Taxpayers will not have to subsidize the operation; taxpayers will not have to subsidize the capital acquisitions: and it will go where people need it to go.

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Black History

HISTORY MADE: Keisha Lance Bottoms Becomes First Black Woman Elected Governor in American History

ATLANTA DAILY WORLD — History has been made in Georgia. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, has been elected governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman in American history to win the highest executive office in any state.

Published

1 week ago

November 5, 2026

Post News Group

Keisha Lance Bottoms during her 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary victory speech. Photo: Sikis2021 / Wikimedia Commons.

History has been made in Georgia. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, has been elected governor of Georgia, becoming the first Black woman in American history to win the highest executive office in any state.

Bottoms’ victory over Republican businessman Rick Jackson represents a defining moment in American politics, breaking a barrier that has stood since the nation’s founding and placing Georgia at the center of a historic political transformation.

For generations, Black women have played a critical role in American democracy, organizing communities, leading movements, mobilizing voters and shaping public policy. Yet despite their contributions, no Black woman had ever been elected governor of a U.S. state.

Until now.

Bottoms’ election also makes her the first woman and first Black person elected governor of Georgia, a state whose political history has been deeply shaped by slavery, segregation, the civil rights movement and the long struggle for equal representation.

Her victory carries particular significance in a state where Black women have been among the most influential forces in voter registration, political organizing and Democratic electoral success.

A fifth-generation Georgian, Bottoms previously served as Atlanta’s 60th mayor from 2018 to 2022. During her administration, she led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic, nationwide protests over racial injustice and a period of significant economic and population growth.

Following her time as mayor, Bottoms served as a senior adviser in President Joe Biden’s administration before returning to Georgia politics to pursue the governorship.

Her campaign focused on expanding access to health care, strengthening public education, increasing wages and addressing the rising cost of living. She also advocated for expanding Medicaid, raising Georgia’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and increasing compensation for teachers and other public employees.

Bottoms faced Jackson, a wealthy health care executive who invested heavily in his campaign and positioned himself as a political outsider. The contest drew national attention as Democrats sought to reclaim the Georgia governor’s office after more than two decades of Republican control.

The historic nature of Bottoms’ victory extends well beyond party politics.

Georgia, once at the center of some of America’s most consequential civil rights battles, has now elected a Black woman to lead its state government. It is a milestone that reflects generations of political participation, organizing and leadership by Black Georgians.

For Atlanta, the moment is especially significant. A former mayor of the city that helped shape the modern civil rights movement will now lead the entire state.

Bottoms’ election opens a new chapter in Georgia’s political history and establishes a milestone that will be remembered far beyond the 2026 election.

For continuing election coverage and results, visit AtlantaDailyWorld.com/election26.