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Denso has taken a $5 million stake in Airbiquity, a US company which develops connected vehicle services and automotive telematics technology. Denso says the investment will accelerate the development of over-the-air (OTA) systems for wirelessly updating automotive software from a remote location. Tony Cannestra, Director of Corporate Ventures at Denso, says is investing in Airbiquity “to deliver safe and reliable automated driving technology”. Denso will develop OTA systems in cooperation with Toyota M

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore is to launch an account-based ticketing system which will allow commuters to pay for public transport via Mastercard from 4 April. LTA says the SimplyGo system will allow card users to also keep track of travel expenditure and history by registering for an account of the TransitLink SimplyGo Portal, available online and via the SimplyGo mobile app. Yeo Teck Guan, senior group director, public transport at LTA, says: “SimplyGo widens the range of payment

The US cities of Charlotte, Detroit and Omaha are looking to develop a regulatory model for scooter deployment using Passport’s mobility platform. Mark de la Vergne, chief of mobility innovation for the City of Detroit, says: “With this pilot programme, we are now connected to a network of cities facing the same challenges and we can effectively work together to develop a new regulatory model that can be scaled nationally.” Passport says the cities will be able to apply parking principles, data analy

Hyundai Auto Canada has launched Nexo, a fuel cell-powered SUV which it will make available to members of the public via Modo’s car-sharing service. The partners are seeking to make the fuel cell vehicles available to a wider audience and allow Canadians to learn more about the technology. Hyundai says Nexo runs on hydrogen, allowing it to emit clean water vapour and purify the air as it isbeing driven. Drivers who refill the engine for five minutes will be provided with a range of up to 570km,

Connected technology firm Sprint is to launch a commercial 5G service in May. Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City will be the first of its nine markets, with Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, DC expected to follow by the end of June. The company has also created an interactive exhibition, the Sprint 5G Experience, at its Kansas HQ to explain how the communications protocol works and what difference it will make to people’s lives. Steve Gaffney, Sprint vice president

Micromobility innovations such as dockless bikes have been welcomed by users – but in many cases have been dreaded in the cities where they have been launched, as abandoned bicycles and scooters have caused problems for local residents.

WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) and Transport Design International are developing a battery-powered rail-based vehicle on behalf of Coventry City Council in the UK. WMG, an academic department at the University of Warwick, is hoping that the 15-passenger very light rail (VLR) will eventually operate without a timetable and allow people to hop on and off. Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, says: “It will be much more affordable to install than traditional trams, take

Ride-hailing platform Karhoo and Taksee – a Spanish provider of taxi services to the corporate market – have launched what they call a ‘roaming’ service. Taksee is currently available via phone and app in Spain, and just via app in a number of other European cities, including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and Rome. A Karhoo spokesperson told ITS International: “Taksee customers will be able to access taxis while they travel from country to country on the Taksee app. This will be facilitated by Ka

Radical steps to improve travellers’ experience of transport in the UK were proposed at ITS International’s MaaS Market conference in London this week. In the keynote speech on day one of the two-day event, UK Transport Systems Catapult CEO Paul Campion said that the public doesn’t really care about transport – all they really want is to get where they are going. “It’s a necessary evil,” he told delegates. “We travel to come to work, to a conference, to take the kids to school – it’s a distress purcha

US secretary of transportation Elaine Chao has announced a new council to help commercialise Hyperloop technology. The Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council will aim to explore the regulation of Hyperloop technology to help bring it to the US. Virgin Hyperloop One says it has been working with the US Department of Transportation and Chao for months, taking the necessary steps to commercialise the technology. The council will also explore emerging technologies like t