Certification
World wide there are no specific (certification) guidelines and/or standards for electronically guided people mover systems. Although distinctively different, regulating authorities often group electronically guided systems with rail-guided systems or ‘other guided systems’. The APM standards developed by ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) are also mainly focused on rail-guided, mass-transit developments.
In light of the absence of specific certification guidelines and procedures, 2getthere is actively assisting the development of standards and guidelines. The most advanced safety analysis for electronically guided systems to date, the FMECA (Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis) developed by TNO (the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research), is a self-imposed procedure for all applications. As an independent agency, TNO is able to evaluate objectively the safety of each system.
Within the last few years, 2getthere has worked with regulating authorities from the Netherlands, France (STRMTG), United Kingdom (HMRI) and Switzerland (BAV), as well as quality and safety service companies TUV, Det Norske Veritas and TNO with regard to certification of 2getthere’s automated people mover systems. The authorities have expressed confidence that ‘certification’ under their current regulations can be rapidly achieved.