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The PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) acronym was first introduced formally in the 1970's by NASA

scientist, Aerospace Rocket Engineer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, professor,

author and inventor of the first US patented PRT system called the Intelligent Transportation

Network System (ITNS), Dr. John Edward Anderson. Dr. Anderson developed the patents,

intellectual property computer program control system, station operations of multiple

pods/vehicles in networks, the calculations of guideways curved in three dimensions

to ride-comfort standards, studies of the dynamics of transit vehicles, economic analysis

of the systems, and the calculations of transit ridership.

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ITNS, now Eco, has been modernized for today and provides the means

to shape rural, suburb and city behaviors and improve the lives of all state inhabitants.

Dr. Anderson also developed many other patents, designs, associations, committees,

systems, professional courses, papers, companies and books, focusing his life and

career to advancing transit technology to better us and our planet. 

 

In the 80's, Dr. Anderson consulted on planning, ridership analysis, and design for

the Colorado Regional Transportation District, Raytheon Company, the German joint venture

DEMAG+MBB, and the state of Indiana. He lectured widely on new transit concepts and was

sponsored on several lecture tours abroad by the United States Information Agency and the

US Department of State. Dr. Anderson also gave courses on transit systems analysis and

design to transportation professionals in the U.S. and Europe, and engaged in PRT

planning studies including simulations of PRT and automated baggage-handling

systems.

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Dr. Anderson published the textbook Transit Systems Theory (D. C. Heath, Lexington Books),

which he uses in his course "Transit Systems Analysis and Design." In addition to

engineering students, enrollment in this course has included professional transportation

engineers from across United States as well as from Sweden and Korea. He then 

initiated and led the development of a high-capacity ITNS system through five stages of

planning, design, cost, construction and updates.

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On his own time, he also organized a team of a half-dozen engineers and managers from major Boston

Area firms to further develop his High-Capacity ITNS system. The Northeastern Illinois Regional

Transportation Authority (RTA) learned of his work together with Raytheon Company and, as a result,

initiated a program to fully develop his ITNS system. This led to a $1.5M PRT design study led by

Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation.​

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In the late 80's, the Northeastern Illinois Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) voted to award an $18 million dollar contract to Dr. Anderson to build a prototype system to test the safety and reliability of the technology.

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The University of Minnesota also backed Dr. Anderson with a $500,000 patent development grant and currently holds five of his related patents.

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The Intellectual Property Owners Foundation named Dr. Anderson an Outstanding American Inventor for his patents on ITNS and 

was presented with the George Williams Fellowship Award, and the MPIRG Public Citizen Award, sponsored by the YMCA and presented for his public service.

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His work led to acceptance of his system as the preferred technology promoted for the Greater Cincinnati Area by a committee of Forward Quest, a Northern Kentucky business organization.

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Dr. Anderson was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his work on PRT.

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​The group Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers listed Anderson as a member of Citizens for Global Solutions and was named Honorary Lifetime Member of the Advanced Transit Association.

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The Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Scientific, and Technical Societies granted him the Charles W. Britzius Distinguished Engineer award.

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The Aerospace Corporation awarded him its "Technical Achievement Recognition for lifelong dedication to the advancement of transportation technology.

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Dr. Anderson authored over 100 technical papers, three books and is listed in 36 biographical references on his work and is included in the books Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World.

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Dr. Anderson has become the godfather of Personal Rapid Transit, and his family continues the transit journey with a new modernized system and ensures a quality transit for all.

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