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Boring Company will prioritize pedestrian transportation over cars, says Musk

By Adam Westlake/

When Elon Musk first unveiled The Boring Company, its plan was to create a network of underground tunnels used to transport vehicles at high speeds to help bypass and eliminate traffic. Now the founder has come out with an updated vision, saying that The Boring Company's tunnels will first focus on transporting pedestrians and cyclists first, essentially serving as a new form of mass transit, before it begins moving personal vehicles.

This news didn't come as an official announcement, mind you, but rather as one of Musk's well-known Twitter discourses, which is why there aren't many solid details. However, he explained that personalized mass transit needs will come first, with thousands of small stations throughout cities, and cars only being served after this is achieved.

His tweets included a short concept video illustrating his idea. It's very similar to the original Boring Company's concept, except a kind of high-tech shuttle for multiple people replaces a single car being taken down into the tunnel.

Musk's comments could be seen as a shift in attitude in the face of growing criticism from public transit advocates. In explaining The Boring Company and its tunnels over the last year, the founder has made a number of comments ridiculing mass transit, calling it "painful" and noting how no one wants to ride alongside others like on buses and trains. Not to mention his tendency of coming up with high-tech forms of transit that already exist.

SOURCE Elon Musk

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