News

The arrest of an Uber driver in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has prompted renewed interest in the company’s driver vetting process. Uber has confirmed that Jason Brian Dalton, accused of injuring two and killing six people over the 20-21 February 2016 weekend in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was an Uber driver who had passed the background checks with no criminal records. The company’s website says that Uber operates an extensive driver screening process which includes collecting detailed information from potential d

The I_Hero project has organised a workshop to address the challenges and opportunities that need to be met to ensure successful introduction of eCall in the different EU Member States. It will also offer insights into how commercial companies can leverage maximum benefit from this introduction. The workshop takes place at Le Chatelain Boutique Hotel, Brussels on 26 April from 0900-1700. eCall will be mandated in Europe for all new types of cars and light trucks manufactured after 31 March 2018. Membe

Taking advantage of Tesla’s generous warranty on its Model S car, a group of young entrepreneurs from the US west coast started Tesloop, providing a travel experience they say is similar to an airline where passengers share a cabin in a plane, except that Tesloop leaves from a convenient Tesla supercharger station location. Tesloop has an expanding fleet of fully electric Tesla model vehicles that seat up to four people. It not only employs its own drivers, but also offers two types of membership to trav

Q-Free’s Homeland Security Division, Prometheus Security Group Global, has been awarded a contract to provide its proprietary VICADS Video Management system for installation at a major undisclosed US Military facility. The contract, which will be delivered within the first half of 2016, is valued at US$1.5 million with an option for a further increase valued at US$582,000. Prometheus Security Group Global, which provides high-end critical asset protection equipment and services to the Homeland Security m

Following new research from specialist finance house Aurium Capital Markets (Aurium), which reveals that between 2014 and 2015, the number of pension schemes with investments in infrastructure increased by 36 per cent, the company has raised £270 million (US$385.5 million), which includes over £100 million (USS$143 million) from institutional pension funds. It is particularly targeting the pensions sector as it says it is increasing its exposure in infrastructure. Its analysis found 136 pension schemes

The US Department of Transportation has awarded US$300 million to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) for two major rail projects in Los Angeles County. This federal funding will benefit both the Regional Connector and Westside Purple Line Extension (Sections 1 and 2) transit projects. Specifically, the federal government will be providing US$100 million to the Regional Connector and US$200 million for the Westside Purple Line section 1 and 2 extension this federal fisca

Global Traffic Technologies (GTT) will take advantage of the 2016 Transit Bus Summit in California next week to talk with transit agencies about how technology can help reduce their operating costs while simultaneously improving service, on-time performance and ridership. The summit is aimed at transportation directors of public transit and university bus systems and provides an opportunity for agencies and suppliers to share ideas and solutions on best management of fleet operations. GTT will discuss ho

The Maryland Police Department, MPD, has been presented with a Homeland Security Award as a result of their partnership with video surveillance solutions provider Hikvision. Presented by Government Security News, the award was given to MPD in the Most Notable Law Enforcement Interdiction, Arrest, Counterterrorism or Crime Prevention Program category. MPD’s use of video surveillance to protect the city of Memphis includes nearly 600 Hikvision cameras, many of which have smart features such as line cro