Cost  Because Skytran offers a significantly lower cost per passenger mile than the traditional transportation networks, it can both lower taxes AND raise benefits. In fact, the economic projections for Skytran predict that in a fully functioning network the cost per passenger mile will be cheaper than the cheapest means of transporting people today. One important benefit of Skytran's low cost is that Skytran could collect its full operating costs from fares instead of through taxes and public subsidies, which is what most public transit systems rely on for their operating costs today. This would free up vital funds to be spent on other priorities, like health care. The low fare will encourage, not discourage, people to use Skytran, a fact that will benefit society in countless ways. See Inexpensive for estimated costs.

Health Public health benefits can be hard to quantify, but we can still identify some clear benefits from switching to Skytran.

1. The air will be cleaner, because Skytran will produce MUCH less pollution than cars and buses. This means that the number of people suffering from asthma and other respiratory diseases, especially in big cities like Houston or L.A., will decrease.
   
2. A whole lot fewer people will die on the road, because Skytran is far safer per passenger mile than either cars or buses. Currently, 45,000 people -- or about 75% as many Americans killed in the Vietnam War -- die in traffic accidents every year. Skytran will change that immediately. Communities that switch from cars to Skytran will be safer and healthier as a result. Hospital emergency rooms will be less crowded, which means that more critically ill people will be able to receive the care they need instead of having to wait in line behind someone who was in a bad traffic accident.
   

Health Insurance Health insurance has become one of the biggest costs for businesses and governments today. With better pubic health, however (see point 2), the costs of health insurance will begin to come down. Once Skytran enables more people to be productive members of society without owning a car, a "driverless" lifestyle will become much more practical. It seems entirely possible that people who don't own a car would have lower health insurance costs, in the same way that people who don't smoke have lower health insurance costs. If health insurance is less expensive, people who currently can't afford insurance, or who are under-insured, can enjoy full coverage. Thus, Skytran will improve people's lives while saving them, and the government, even more money.

Transportation Infrastructure We will need less roads and less maintenance on existing roads if we shift a large percentage of travel to Skytran. The need for roads will not disappear, but roads will be increasingly used by large freight vehicles instead of by passenger vehincles. Skytran's economic efficiency -- it can pay for itself via fares -- will save people and governments many billions of dollars every year. This economic efficiency can also reduce the temptation of pork barrel politics exemplified by projects such as 'The Bridge To Nowhere" in Alaska and 'The Big Dig" in Massachusetts (a project originally slated for $2 Billion than ended up costing $15 Billion, with at least $1 Billion in corruption documented by the Boston Globe). This will help governments focus on the priorities people want them to focus on, which will help restore America's faith in government. And that is priceless.