Codex: Transportation

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Most transportation within LATMA takes place on the TUBE lines, a series of interconnected rapid subways which have hubs in every major city of the metropolis.  This is the safest and cheapest way to travel, as the TUBE lines are maintained and secured by the Consortium.  SSN status is not checked - Bright and Dark alike are permitted to use them, for a small fee.  However, their advanced weapon-detection technology and public transit nature can be off-putting, so there are other options available.

Typical ground transport are old-model cars and motorcycles.  While corporations still produce these vehicles, they have become steadily more expensive, better-armored, and less popular, since being ground-bound makes them vulnerable in the more dangerous areas of the metropolis.  Fuel tends to be quite expensive, although many have been converted to use biofuels.  This is by far the most common local transportation for Dark residents, but licensing is still required, so taking such a vehicle into a Grey or Bright area can be risky (as Darks cannot get licenses).

Road and highway maintenance varies enormously from one section of LATMA to another.  Outside the bounds of the metropolis, highways have typically degraded to such an extent, and are so commonly monitored by criminals, that use of ground vehicles outside the city's general perimeter is commonly lethal.  As a consequence, air transport in the form of aerodynes has become much more common with the well-to-do.

Aerodynes are VTOL aircraft which typically resemble cars (examples of the concept can be found in Fifth Element and Blade Runner).  These are much more expensive than ground vehicles, and the licensing is vastly more stringent.  They are also required to be equipped with remote override hardware permitting air traffic control to take over in the case of an out-of-control dyne.  It is typical in Bright areas for the override to be automatic and mandatory (as Bright citzens have an aversion to the equivalent of several-ton missiles flying around over their heads).  Many types of dyne have dangerous jets and can only be landed in designated areas (although they also tend to be capable of standard ground-level travel from that point).  Armoring and even weapons are common at the high end.

Water transport is less common, but since much of LATMA is on or near the coast, deserves a mention.  Most water traffic is transport of bulk supplies by the Consortium, but some citizens maintain boats as suit their particular tastes.  Licensing is required (although as with ground vehicles, not especially enforced in Dark areas).  Piracy is common, and while the Consortium has its own security fleet to protect its transport ships, for the most part private citizens are on their own.