Search

Masabi has launched Justride Validator, a ticketing device which it says will make account-based ticketing available for transport authorities of any size. Brian Zanghi, CEO of Masabi, says passengers are expecting to be able to use contactless bank cards and smart devices for ticketing. “However, the reality is that the hardware requirements have made it cost-prohibitive for many transit authorities around the globe,” he continues. “By failing to make tap and ride ticketing accessible to all transport

Teleste is to provide smart display technologies in Sweden which it says are designed to deliver dynamic information across public transport. Teleste claims that the technologies will help public transport operator Storstockholms Lokal Trafik (SL) improve journeys for passengers travelling by metro, buses, commuter trains and local trains. The solutions include a 55-inch touch screen information pillar for delivering travel planner services and weather information as well as platform and multiline displa

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has released ActiveVision, a machine vision tool that transportation agencies can use to autonomously detect and report changes in traffic conditions. Dan Rossiter, SwRI research analyst, says: "The goal is to help transportation officials enhance their ITS capabilities with advanced algorithms that autonomously scan vast amounts of visual data, extracting and reporting actionable data." SwRI says the tool’s algorithms process camera data to provide real-time informatio

The UK government has wasted hundreds of millions of pounds painting white lines on busy roads to use as cycle lanes, says former Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman. Boardman, cycling and walking commissioner for Greater Manchester, has reportedly joined fellow commissioners Dame Sarah Storey (Sheffield City region) and Will Norman (London) in writing to transport secretary Chris Grayling calling for new measures to be adopted. The Guardian says the letter argues that painted cycle lanes do not make cyc

Teledyne Dalsa is to launch three Genie Nano cameras equipped with Sony CMOS sensors which it says can be used for ITS and traffic applications. The Genie Nano 2.4M, M1950 and C1950 models offer a cost-efficient solution for organisations looking to upgrade vision inspection systems from Sony charge-coupled devices (CCD) to CMOS imaging, the company adds. According to Teledyne, the M1950 and C1950 enable high-speed image capture without smear or distortion while the 2.4M is built around the Sony Preg

Electronic vehicles (EVs) are a technical marvel – but vulnerable road users (VRUs) can’t hear them, which creates obvious safety problems. Brigade Electronics says help is at hand with its Quiet Vehicle Sounder (QVS), a speaker system which the company says reduces collisions between pedestrians and hybrids and EVs. The QVS, also known as an acoustic vehicle alerting system, simulates the sound characteristics of an internal combustion engine by emitting a blend of bbs-tek white sound frequencies that

Electric vehicles (EVs) are being used to power people’s homes on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. Part of Portugal’s Madeira archipelago, Porto Santo is using solar-powered EVs, according to a BBC report. They are charged during the day, with unused energy returned to the grid at night. The Portuguese island is not the only part of the world seeking to harness the potential of solar energy for EVs. In India, Bharat Heavy Electricals is setting up a network of solar-based electric vehicle

Sony Europe’s Image Sensing Solutions (ISS) has unveiled a windscreen glare-removal function designed to help tolling and enforcement operations. It is available on the XPL-SDKW software development kit (SDK) for XCG-CP510 polarised camera modules. Sony ISS says the application is designed to improve road safety through ITS applications such as tracking seatbelt and mobile phone use or identifying a driver caught by speed and red light cameras. The SDK system enables system integrators to cut developm

In order for the take-up of electric vehicles – a key part of the future mobility mix - to grow, we need batteries. And that might prove tricky, reports Graham Anderson Industry and commodities experts fear that the growth in electric vehicles (EVs) could be much slower than predicted due to bottlenecks in global battery market supply chains. “People seem to think that the switch from the internal combustion engine to electric vehicles just means you plug your car in rather than fill it with petrol,” a

Engineering company Ansys has joined forces with BMW to develop a simulation tool chain for developing autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies. Eric Bantegnie, vice president and general manager at Ansys, says the solution is designed to address “safety validation requirements for autonomous driving”. Ansys says simulation greatly reduces the need for physical testing which would require billions of miles of road tests across a range of driving conditions. The agreement is expected to help develop

Careem is expanding its ride-hailing service to the Iraqi city of Basra, according to a report by Albawaba. The report says Careem’s app will provide a more reliable service for riders who currently have to deal with unmetered taxi prices. Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem, is quoted as saying: “Our technology is helping create employment opportunities and providing essential mobility for millions of people in Iraq.” Mohamed Al-Hakim, general manager of Careem Iraq says: “Within the ne

A new study shows that on-demand AVs and MaaS together could make a significant difference to traffic in Oslo, Norway – but only if ride-share is involved too If you replace today’s traditional private car ownership with a mixture of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and on-demand autonomous vehicles (AVs) running door-to-door, you could make dramatic cuts in city traffic. That, at least, is the view of researchers from COWI and PTV, who have modelled a variety of future scenarios based on the morning rush h

Two UK organisations - Transport Systems Catapult and Future Cities - have merged to form Connected Places Catapult. Helen Wylde explains what this new start is designed to achieve Changing towns and cities, changing transportation…changing the world – it’s all too easy to sound idealistic. But however sensible a pessimistic outlook might be, it in no way mitigates the absolute urgency of our need to succeed. The coming together of Transport Systems Catapult and Future Cities is significant because

The emergence of 5G may not be necessary to provide a high-definition map for autonomous driving, says Matt Preyss from Here Technologies. Ben Spencer asks why 5G is a hot topic worldwide, with the potential for faster transfer of information eagerly awaited by those convinced that it will be a game-changer for the ITS industry. High-definition (HD) maps are essential to allow autonomous vehicles (AVs) to understand their environment, and operate safely within it in relation to other road users and p

French public transit operator RATP has signed an agreement to trial a hydrogen bus from Solaris in real operating conditions in France next year. The two-month trial is part of RATP’s ambition to convert its 25 bus depots to electric and biogas by 2025 and to operate a clean bus fleet of 4,700 vehicles. RATP says the Solaris bus will be housed at the Thiais bus depot in the Val-de-Marne department, located south-east of Paris.

Communauto is to launch a car-sharing service comprising hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) in Saint-Laurent, a borough in Montreal, Canada. Mayor Alan DeSousa says the Communauto Flex service will allow users “to get around more quickly in Saint-Laurent and easily access other Montréal boroughs”. It is free to join and works on a pay-as-you-go structure. Daily trips cost $0.41 per minute, $15 per hour and $50 per day. Drivers will only be allowed to park the Flex vehicles in a zone located by Boulevard

Inrix has launched a traffic solution which it says uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide updates to traffic conditions and pinpoint traffic speeds in different lanes. Inrix AI Traffic provides road authorities with information to help promote public safety and future-proof roadways, the company adds. According to Inrix, the solution also provides: • Estimated time of arrivals to ensure drivers arrive at their destination on-time • Instant updates on road conditions such as roadworks, accidents

Kapsch is to equip 30 toll rebate stations on the Olympia Odos motorway in Greece. The company says these will provide a distance-based pricing model for drivers in the country. Olympia Odos has links to the cities of Athens, Corinth and the port city of Patras on the Peloponnese, via 202km of motorway. The toll stations offer a rebate to road users if they do not travel the full distance corresponding to an average distance charging zone, Kapsch adds. Additionally, the solution will include th

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced it is receiving power generated from a waste-to-energy plant to operate the Pink Line metro service in the Indian capital. DMRC says it is currently receiving 2 megawatts (MW) of power from East Delhi Waste Processing Company’s (EDWPCL) 12 MW capacity plant located in the town of Ghazipur. EDWPCL’s waste-to-energy plant was realised from an agreement with the government of Delhi and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation. The facility is expected to pro

Flowbird Urban Intelligence has launched terminal-based digital technology to enable local authorities to levy variable surcharges on vehicles that exceed set levels of carbon dioxide (CO2). The digital system is loaded onto Flowbird’s solar-powered terminals and is expected to help authorities encourage people to switch to lower carbon vehicles and use public transport in congested areas. Flowbird says the system can generate a separate fee for higher polluting cars at the time of parking via data linke