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He has proposed a transit connection between the State Fairgrounds and Como Park, as well as a potential connection to Hamline.

PRT is a form of transportation technology being developed through a corporation called Taxi 2000, based in Fridley.

It is essentially a series of automated, elevated cabs, Jacobs said. Each car can hold up to three people at a time.

If ever made a reality, the PRT system would run on elevated “guideways.” Each three-passenger vehicle is designed to be computer automated, so passengers would ride without a transit worker present.

Stations would be built just off the guideway lines, so cars would not have to stop behind one another to wait for people to get off. This is a feature that makes PRT different from trains, subways and the recently built Minneapolis light-rail transit system.

Jacobs believes PRT would be a perfect transit solution near the State Fairgrounds.

“You would relieve the traffic and car congestion near Como Park. Sometimes it can be hard to find a place to park on a busy weekend. This could play a big role in alleviating that congestion.”

A PRT prototype exists in Fridley, Jacobs said, and some initial development on the system took place at the University of Minnesota, which is why St. Paul could possibly be the first city in the world to actually use the system.

Because PRT is automated, transit workers are not needed to drive the cars. This, in the opinions of those who support PRT development, makes the system extremely cost-efficient.

“If you have a system that is automated,” Jacobs said, “you cut out 60ą70 percent of the labor costs. It is a big benefit in terms of a public policy decision.”

Jacobs said the system would save taxpayers money, though he noted that estimated costs to build the system add up to about $80 million.

Jay Benanav, a St. Paul city-council member, believes the estimation is unrealistic.

“The estimates are not well-justified at this point,” he said. “We need a lot more evidence that it is only [going to cost] $80 million. Plus, even if you could build it for that amount of money, where do you find $80 million?”

Cost is not the only reason Benanav is skeptical of the proposal’s practicality.

“It’s an unproven technology and a huge risk to take,” he said. “I have a hard time understanding why we would want to clutter the sky with rails. I don’t really know the advantage it really has over something like [light rail].”

Jacobs said PRT could connect to the light rail and other transit systems over time, making them all more successful by building off one another. He believes PRT will become a reality in St. Paul.

“I am very optimistic,” he said. “I think we can get something done. The time is right. [Taxi 2000] is exploring and is open to wherever they can get a system built.” Jacobs projected that the first test track loop construction could take place as early as 2008.

Benanav, however, does not think the system is anywhere near completion. “I think it is a huge long shot,” he said.