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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

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 hybrid 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 th

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

ITS Europe has opened early bird registrations for this year’s congress taking place in Eindhoven from the 3-6 June. Under the theme ‘Fulfilling ITS Promises’, the European Programme Committee is presenting seven topics. These include deploying new mobility services – from experiments to experience; a breath of fresh air; connected, cooperative and automated mobility; enhancing the efficiency of freight transport; enablers of digital infrastructure; transport network operations; and disruption start-ups &

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

ZF Friedrichshafen has acquired a 60% share of 2getthere, the Dutch provider of automated electric passenger transport systems. The deal is expected to strengthen ZF’s position in providing Mobility as a Service solutions, autonomous transport systems and shared autonomous vehicles. 2getthere’s applications range from driverless electric transport systems at airports to dedicated urban transport infrastructures. The company also has offices in San Francisco, Dubai and Singapore. Carel C. van Hel

Cohda Wireless has carried out a trial of Vehicle to Everything (V2X) technology in Norway’s Bjørnegård tunnel. The idea was to demonstrate the ability of Cohda’s V2X-Locate solution to provide accurate vehicle positioning in areas where GPS systems often run into difficulty – such as in tunnels or underground car parks. The company’s chief technical officer, Professor Paul Alexander, says GPS positioning can be off by up to 40m in such environments – which would have a significant negative impact on

Theia Technologies says its range of 4K and megapixel NIR corrected lenses for ITS can be used in applications ranging from long-distance traffic surveillance and ANPR/LPR, to ultra-wide views without distortion. At the Vision 2018 show in Stuttgart, the company showed off for the first time its ML610M 6-10mm varifocal lens with 4k resolution, NIR correction for a 2/3” sensor covering the focal range of three prime lenses with up to 87 degrees horizontal field of view. The telephoto lens portfolio is

Nedap has launched two automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras for vehicle access control applications. The company says its advanced ANPR Lumo uses deep learning algorithms to capture number plates which include different font formats. The ANPR Access V2, a successor of Nedap’s ANPR Access, is expected to offer improved performance while being compatible with existing installations. Both cameras integrate parking and traffic management systems as well as third-party security systems using

InDriver has launched its ride-hailing app in New York City (NYC) which allows the driver and passenger to negotiate lower fares. The app allows users to set a fare for a selected route. Nearby drivers receive the destination and fare and can either accept or bargain for more money. The passenger receives multiple offers from drivers, allowing them to make a choice based on fare amount, driver ratings, estimated time of arrival and vehicle make/model. The service is available to communities in Brooklyn,

Putting an end to traffic jams – including those involving freight - and improving the air people breathe are major goals for city authorities everywhere. With FlowSense, Dynniq thinks it may have some answers. Adam Hill asks how Sitting in traffic is top of the list of many commuters’ pet hates: a necessary evil, perhaps. But at least it doesn’t kill you - the same can’t be said of toxins in the air. Indeed, the World Health Organisation estimates that 4.2 million deaths worldwide are due to outdoor pol

UK congestion is getting worse, in part due to the influx of deliveries coming into cities. At a roundtable discussion in London, software provider Passport examined new ways in which local authorities can work together to better manage the kerb. Ben Spencer listens in Competition for kerb space is one of the major conundrums of modern urban mobility. Some authorities are being creative about it, but good practice is not widespread. “There are individual pockets of good work going on with cities who a

Volvo Buses is to deploy 900 of its vehicles over the next decade to Perth’s metropolitan region on behalf of the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA). The deal has an order value of AUS $274 million (£146m) until 2024, and is part of an initiative to replace buses reaching the end of their useful life. Volvo says it will deliver an average of 90 buses per year for up to 10 years, with the five-year deal plus an option for a further five years. Initially, the contract will see the deli

Auckland Airport has teamed up with Uber to offer dedicated ride-share pick-up zones at domestic and international terminals from tomorrow. The partners are hoping to provide a service which offers an alternative to driving. Richard Barker, general manager, retail and commercial, at Auckland Airport, says: “As the first airport to allow Uber access since December 2016, this next step provides certainty for travellers on where to catch their ride-share service.” Users can get a ride from an accredited d

Spanish firm Ficosa is to put €500m into R&D over the next four years to provide new technology for connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs). The firm believes that revenue from its technology systems will rise from €100 million to €800 million over the next five years. Assisted driving and e-mobility are other areas of interest, and the company has already put its money where its mouth is, showing off a new e-mobility development centre last year. The company had overall revenues of €1.28 billion

Intelligent Imaging Systems (ISS) is providing US state departments of transportation with smart parking solutions for trucks at rest stops. The technology was installed in Ohio as part of the Mid America Association of State Transportation Officials initiative, which unites eight Midwestern states via a Regional Truck Parking Information Management System (TPIMS). ISS says in-ground sensors were fitted at 18 rest stops along Interstates 70, 75 and US Route 33 to provide information on how many parking sp

The US city of Phoenix has appointed Markus Coleman light rail administrator where he will seek to provide more transit options for commuters in the capital of Arizona. Mario Paniagua, Phoenix’s deputy city manager, says Coleman “grew up in Phoenix, has strong ties to the South Phoenix community and knows how important public transit is to our citizens who use that as their main mode of getting around”. Coleman has worked in Phoenix for 23 years on development projects and transportation. He also has ser

The Canadian government has committed CAN$300,000 to develop six electric vehicle (EV) chargers across Prince Edward Island (PEI) province. The funding is part of the government’s CAN$182.5 million investment to develop a fast-charging network for EVs and establish natural gas stations along roads and hydrogen stations in metropolitan areas. It recently made a similar investment in Vancouver. The chargers, built by the Government of PEI, were funded through Natural Resource Canada’s Electric Vehicle and A

Bosch has opened its London Connectory, a Shoreditch-based office space to allow different partners to develop smart mobility solutions. Bosch is now working with Nitrous, a platform for facilitating projects, to encourage collaboration between partners in the public, private and academic sectors. George Johnston, founder and CEO of Nitrous, says: “This space has ambitious goals of making mobility more equitable, accessible, sustainable, and safe, thus reshaping cities around the world.” The first partn