An elevator system includes an elevator car to travel vertically in a first lane and a second lane; a propulsion system to impart force to the elevator car; a transfer station to move the elevator car horizontally from the first lane to the second lane; and a control system to supervise travel of the elevator car, the control system to supervise a first intersection between the first lane and the transfer station such that no more than one of vertical elevator car travel and horizontal elevator car travel is permitted at the first intersection at a given time.

Lift systems may include a first shaft unit and a second shaft unit, each of which may include a number of lift shafts. One or more single-car systems and/or multi-car systems may be disposed in the first shaft unit, whereas one or more shaft-changing multi-car systems may be disposed in the second shaft unit. A transporting operation may be carried out from an initial floor to a destination floor wherein a control unit determines whether to utilize one or more cars from the single car systems, the multi-car systems, the shaft-changing multi-car systems, or some combination thereof depending on factors such as the destination floors of the passengers, traffic density, energy demand, and/or availability of cars.