TITLE:
Leapfrog Technology and How It Applies to Trackless Tram
AUTHORS:
Vinnet Ndlovu, Peter Newman
KEYWORDS:
Technological Leapfrogging, Trackless Trams, Socio-Technological Regime
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Transportation Technologies,
Vol.10 No.3,
May
18,
2020
ABSTRACT: Rapid innovation and development of modern
technology has brought about the opportunity for developing economies to
technologically leapfrog. The smart phone is
the most recent example. This paper assesses literature to show what technological leapfrogging is and the key
criteria used to enable it to occur in developing countries. These
include being “economical enough”, “less technical”, “lends itself to
partnership”, “lends itself to community engagement”, “enables co-development”
and “fulfills the sustainable development goals”. The paper then examines the
new mid-tier transit technology called Trackless Trams and applies the six
criteria to it. The paper suggests that there are five good fits with the
criteria and the sixth, the “less technical”, can be accommodated in most developing
cities through distributed solar energy systems
and also smart technology systems through mobile
phone-based communication infrastructure. The case for
Trackless Trams to be part of the future in developing cities is therefore
strong.