Frequently Asked Questions

Swyft Cities, which licenses and implements Whoosh® advanced urban mobility systems, and the city of Sugar Land have entered into an agreement to study bringing an autonomous elevated cable and rail mobility system developed as part of a Google project to Sugar Land for fast, convenient mobility.

The system, called Whoosh®, uses electric vehicles that resemble conventional aerial gondolas but uses advanced autonomous technologies to move independently along a network of elevated fixed cables and rails. Vehicles are on-demand, and systems can be built at a cost far below conventional transit projects. All trips are fast and nonstop from origin to destination with no stops at intermediate stations.

Swyft Cities is partnering with the city of Sugar Land to bring a new level of fast, convenient mobility to help support the fast-growing region. The city of Sugar Land is emerging as a global leader in implementing advanced transportation infrastructures (as evidenced by the recent announcement of a partnership with Wisk Aero for development of vertiports for autonomous air taxi operations) introducing exciting new ways to meet the City’s growing mobility needs not only for today, but for the future as well.

The project is intended to improve mobility. Our residents have told us that mobility is among their top priorities. Mobility was identified as a top priority in our most recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey. 

The Whoosh network will expand Sugar Land’s pedestrian network to include convenient connections to destination centers like Sugar Land Town Square, Smart Financial Centre and more. In addition, it will support and enhance trail connections as identified in the Pedestrian and Bike Master plan, a document created with extensive input from residents.

No. We are partnering with the private sector and will pursue state and federal funding.

The project will support economic development and tourism efforts by expanding Sugar Land’s pedestrian network to include connections to destination centers like Sugar Land Town Square, Smart Financial Centre and more. It will improve mobility for Sugar Land residents, visitors and businesses to participate more fully in everything the city has to offer.

Our residents have told us that mobility is among their top priorities, and we are committed to being responsive to their needs by providing opportunities to invest in projects they tell us are important. We will be just as relentless in looking for opportunities like this one to partner with state and federal funding sources to reduce the financial impact to our residents while also delivering mobility projects that support quality of life, economic development and tourism.

Swyft Cities transforms cities and real estate through innovative modular transit solutions. Swyft Cities licenses and implements Whoosh® transportation technology. Whoosh provides efficient, comfortable, sustainable urban transportation with individual electrically-powered vehicles using an elevated network of cable and rail guideways. Unique flexible, lightweight infrastructure delivers cost-effective mobility ranging from small systems to expanding networks that can cover entire urban areas.

Begun as Project Swyft at Google to advance the innovative Whoosh® transportation system, Swyft Cities was spun out from Google as a separate company to help commercialize the system and bring it to the world. The Swyft Cities team has extensive experience delivering large-scale infrastructure and urban mobility projects.

Sugar Land believes innovative transportation technologies are key to enabling the city to continue its growth by moving people across the community conveniently and sustainably. 

Sugar Land can be one of the first cities in the US to implement this innovative, trailblazing concept, and serve as a model for how cities can innovate their urban transportation systems.

The Whoosh® transportation system is based on proven technologies. Whoosh was first prototyped as part of “Project Swyft” at Google, which demonstrated low cost, an excellent user experience with great views, and environmental sustainability with zero emissions.

Swyft Cities was spun off from Google into a separate business to help bring the technology to market for public transportation and other uses.

A Whoosh® pilot project is currently underway in New Zealand.

Public right of way franchise agreements and connections to transit centers.

For the initial phase, we estimate 3-6 months of planning and design, 6-8 months of permitting and procurement, 6-12 months of construction and testing, for a total of 24-32 months including certification.

The City of Sugar Land is continuing discussions with Swyft Cities on potential route configurations, technical details, costs and other topics. The City met with TxDOT to let them know about the project and get their feedback. They expressed positive feedback and will need to review and approve any design elements that will cross their roadways (SH6 and US 59/IH 69). A stakeholder meeting with all of the property owners affected by the project is being planned. Federal funding is being sought through our regional Metropolitan Planning Organization, H-GAC, to pay for the first steps - engineering and design of the system.

The City of Sugar Land will work closely with our private-sector partners to ensure the infrastructure is installed safely and complements the aesthetics of our community.

Whoosh vehicles are zero-emissions. The system is expected to have a positive impact on the environment by encouraging non-vehicle traffic and ultimately reducing harmful emissions.

No. The infrastructure will be installed along rights of way commonly used by motorists, and gondola passengers will be obstructed from views of private homes or backyards.

Yes, after the system has been designed and before construction there will be opportunities for public input on the project.

Environmental reviews depend on the requirements of the Federal grant funding source. Aerial gondola systems have proven to be environmentally friendly (they produce no point source emissions) with a low ecological footprint. Impacts to the natural environment are minimal. Noise from these types of systems is also nominal for both riders and people at street-level.