people-pod

Noun

people pod (plural people pods)

1. A mobile cabin that attaches to an aircraft or helicopter.
   • With a people pod snugged underneath, it can even transport troops.1965 December, “Biggest -- and Ugliest -- Chopper”, in Popular Science, volume 187, number 6, page 88
2. A bus-like compartment carried by a lift truck, proposed in the late 1950s for transporting people and luggage from the airport terminal to an aircraft.
   • Its concept is as follows: "Passengers are to be transported from the terminal together with baggage in a detachable bus-like compartment called a people pod on a lift truck.1956, Jet Age Planning: Quarterly Progress Report - Issue 1, page 15
3. A driverless electric car for transporting a single person.
   • Each battery-powered people pod looks a bit like George Jetson's egg-shaped sky-car except for the two well-grounded wheels below.2009, Automotive Engineering International - Volume 117, Issues 1-6, page 8
4. (science fiction or futurism) Any of various cars for carrying a small number of people as part of a public transportation system.
   • If you believe your Sunday papers. the answer is supposed to be "people pods in pneumatic tubes."1968, Railway Age - Volume 164, page i
5. A small chamber for a single person.
   • For what amounts to a transmission tunnel with two people pods, the Viper's cabin is actually quite roomy.1993, Car and Driver - Volume 39, page 112