Whoosh
Whoosh was definitely off our radar - but thanks to a forward of this New Atlas article, we’re on it now. There’s actually quite a bit of coverage out so we’re getting caught up quickly.
Like Zippar, Whoosh is an entrant into the aerial transit space from outside the traditional gondola industry. Both companies originate from island nations in the Eastern Hemisphere: Zippar from Japan and Whoosh from New Zealand. Whoosh is based in Christchurch and appears to have received support from the New Zealand government, at least in the form of grant funding—similar to the public-sector backing observed with Zippar. This kind of national support may be one way for smaller firms to compete with the established leaders in the gondola sector.
Whoosh began as a project within a Christchurch-based engineering firm and gained momentum following interest from Google prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Google’s involvement reportedly included spinning out executives to help scale the initiative under a new entity, Swyft Cities. In addition, there appears to be some level of collaboration between Whoosh and Fatzer, a well-known cable manufacturer in the traditional gondola industry.
Given this partnership and the direction of its development, Whoosh appears to be positioning itself within the emerging urban supergondola segment. Below is a visual representation of their proposed urban mobility concept. Here’s a clip of their urban vision:
Parallels between Whoosh and Zippar continue to surface. Both projects appear to have originated around the same time - Zippar was founded in 2018, while Whoosh appears to have launched slightly earlier, having publicly demonstrated its system through an installation in Tennessee by 2019.
Each company maintains a dedicated facility for prototyping and testing. These labs are used to showcase their respective systems to the public and media. Zippar operates full-scale prototypes, whereas Whoosh currently demonstrates a quarter-scale version of its system.
More details on Zippar’s facility can be found in our post about them, and footage of the Whoosh lab is included at the beginning and end of the video below.
Is it a supergondola?
Similar to Zippar, Whoosh appears to be developing an urban supergondola transit system. Key features align closely with the broader definition of this emerging category, including:
An elevated network
Autonomous electric vehicles
Cable (ropeway) infrastructure
Track or rail segments enabling transitions between cable sections
Multiple station stop options throughout the network
However, there are some notable differences between the two systems. While Zippar’s cabins are designed to accommodate up to 12 passengers, Whoosh's vehicles are built for smaller groups, with a stated capacity of 4 to 5 passengers.
This difference in capacity reflects a design trade-off. Zippar's larger cabins may offer greater throughput, potentially serving higher volumes of riders at peak times. However, smaller cabin sizes like those of Whoosh may offer advantages for on-demand, rideshare-style services. In line with that approach, Whoosh's public promotional materials reference a user experience modeled after ridesharing platforms such as Uber, whereas Zippar’s promotional content does not emphasize individualized travel to the same extent.
“Whoosh provides an on-demand ride-hailing experience for passengers, allowing them to book rides and glide easily above congestion in the unused vertical space of a location - traveling nonstop to their destination.”
When will it happen?
According to its official website, Whoosh plans to begin pilot projects in the near future, including a potential initiative near Dallas, Texas. The project appears to involve collaborations between teams based in New Zealand and the United States. Swyft Cities, which is listed as “the sole licensee of Whoosh Transportation Technology in North America and other designated geographies,” names infrastructure firms such as Plenary and AECOM as key partners.
While Whoosh remains a relatively new and lesser-known start up in the aerial transit space, the company is quickly moving through early development stages while creating key partnerships.
Separately, industry watchers continue to speculate about Doppelmayr’s 2021 “Future Concept Urban” announcement, which has yet to be formally unveiled. We’re trying not to be biased, but it’s very hard not to think that Doppelmayr is just waiting to reveal their new tech and crush the field as the historic leader in this space.
Taken together, all of these developments (and speculations) suggest that momentum around urban supergondola systems may be building, with multiple players exploring near-term implementation.
Long story short, more than ever, the odds of a supergondola being available soon keep getting higher - pun intended.