> the Tesla system at peak capacity of 4 passengers will move 2 people per second.
Your analysis is incomplete. A moving sidewalk on the airport can move far more than 2 people per second, and needs no driver. Where is the call to revive that form of travel descried in Heinlein's "The Roads Must Roll" and Asimov's "The Caves of Steel"?
You are missing speed, and acceleration, and load time.
> So it's equivalent with a subway train at crush capacity running every 1000 seconds or 16 minutes.
Well-frequented London lines run with something like 2-3 minute intervals, not 16 minute intervals. And you can easily carry luggage with you, push a stroller, or roll your wheelchair on in.
> and smelling someone else's armpit
Yes, it appeals to rich people who want to use their money to avoid even minor irritations, and don't want to pay taxes to support mass transit that helps everyone. (From the link, "some press and discussion around the Loop figures it as more of a luxury option: something that casinos can comp for high rollers, that will spare people dealing with the general disaster of getting around the strip".)
But that means having an alternative for us poor stinking masses. The Loop is not that solution.
By the time the subway system gets to the crowd level you describe, a Loop-type system would be well over capacity. You'll be stuck in a line waiting for the next Tesla to arrive, surrounded by stinky people.
> was achieved with Tesla cars. If they manage to introduce 8-12 seaters
Why are they using Teslas? As the article notes, "due to their larger seating capacity and faster boarding/deboarding, the Loop would likely achieve a higher capacity if they just shifted operations entirely to the Club Cars".
With "four rows of seats", it's likely something like https://www.clubcar.com/en-us/commercial/transport/villager-... which says "A long time classic on resorts, the Villager 8 moves up to eight passengers in a single trip and can replace expensive vans. Yet it also travels narrow areas not accessible to conventional vehicles."
It seems they could easily increase capacity now by simply changing vehicle type.
Also, since the capacity numbers were achieved with Tesla cars, that means it excluded the GEM carts which the article says is uses for people with wheelchairs. That suggests the "nearly 5000" number does not include people with mobility issues, which would need to be supported under ADA requirements.
At peak capacity, even a small disturbance can greatly reduce flow.
> It seems very irrational not to let them demonstrate what they claim
The page says their claim is that the fully expanded system will target only 90k passengers per day. It seems very irrational to not draw conclusions from that.