In 2023, the City established Great Park Transportation Objectives based on stakeholder feedback:

  • Move people efficiently through the Great Park
  • Encourage residents to park once and visit multiple attractions
  • Connect with other modes of transportation: Irvine Station, Irvine CONNECT, OCTA, bicycle trails, and pedestrians
  • Ensure accessibility by dropping people off close to attractions
  • Operate a system that is cost-effective and environmentally responsible
  • Foster innovation
  • Promote fun
  • Complement the park setting

Traditional and emerging mobility modes, including buses, shuttles and trams, were thoroughly studied. Whoosh emerged as a mode with high potential to achieve the eight objectives, but further evaluation was necessary. Staff refrained from discussing and prematurely raising the public’s hopes for the Whoosh system until a more thorough analysis was completed. The City developed a concept for the Whoosh route consisting of 12 stations and subsequently subjected that route to further analysis. To best serve the Great Park’s activity centers, the route features a unique shape that fits the park's contours in a way that cannot be replicated by other transportation modes. 

Further study revealed that Whoosh best met the eight objectives. Part of the thorough analysis involved understanding how Whoosh fit into the Great Park via a virtual reality (VR) simulation. The immersive simulation enables users to experience the Whoosh system from both the passenger's perspective: riding in the vehicles, and the pedestrian's perspective: observing the system within the Great Park.

Another part of the research involved understanding how people perceive and experience the vehicles, which have more room than a car but are small by transit standards. The VR and Whoosh vehicle model provide for robust stakeholder education, helping people understand the impact of the Whoosh system and to offer accurate feedback. Now that the VR is complete, the City has scheduled a series of community outreach activities to collect feedback.

Mobility Timeline