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Transport company ComfortDelGro is trialling MaaS Global’s Whim app in Singapore. The Finnish mobility company secured a €9m funding round for the app in August to support its ambition in revolutionising the way people move. ComfortDelGro says the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) app’s users will be able to access its fleet of taxis as well as transition from a train or a bus or choose to finish the trip on a bicycle. Kaj Pyyhtiä, MaaS Global co-founder, says the company will use the initiative to enter

The Australian government and the US state of Michigan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop vehicle and road systems to help improve road safety. Michael McCormack, deputy prime minister and minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development, says the agreement is part of a strategy to position Australia for safer roads through automated and connected vehicles. “This is just one way the government is promoting safer vehicles on safer roads, including for our region

CAVita, a subsidiary of Econolite which focuses on connected and autonomous vehicles, has appointed Barry Einsig as principal. Abbas Mohaddes, Econolite president and chief operating officer, says: “Working closely with various levels of governments, automakers, and broad enabling technologies, Barry brings exceptional expertise that will be invaluable to CAVita’s clients.” Einsig was previously an executive at Cisco Systems, where he was responsible for global automotive and transportation solution

The Gulf Traffic exhibition and conference has signed its first strategic partnership with the Saudi Transport Ministry (TM). Saudi Arabia has recently announced a $453 million infrastructure project to extend 23 roads across the country. “As we progress with our plan for the private sector to operate much of the kingdom's future transport infrastructure, being part of international platforms, such as Gulf Traffic in Dubai, will give us access to the transport suppliers needed to drive this strategy,” s

Two public transit associations are to cooperate on training around electric buses and new mobility services as part of a new agreement. The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) have signed a memorandum of understanding which will see them identifying training programmes on other issues going forward. UITP and APTA said they would work together, “where possible, to organise joint events on topics of common interest to the benefit of

Ride-hailing companies could be taxed for starting their journeys in San Francisco following a bill signed by California governor Jerry Brown. The bill - AB 1184 - calls for a 3.25% tax on net rider fares for single-party trips, or those provided by an autonomous vehicle, as well as a 3.25% tax on shared rides. Additionally, the city or county would be able to set a lower tax rate for net rider fares for those provided by a lower emission vehicle. A report by the San Francisco Chronicle says the

Car-share platform Car2go will launch in Paris in January 2019. The Daimler-owned company will start with 400 electric Smart EQ fortwo cars and says it expects to operate several hundred more in the French capital over the course of next year. “Paris offers ideal conditions for our free-floating car-sharing principle. I’m certain that Paris will become a very successful Car2go location,” says Car2go CEO Olivier Repper. Car2go’s service also has fully-electric fleets in three other European cities:

Nearly a quarter of UK millennials would forgo buying a car and are likely to subscribe to a car-as-a-service scheme within the next year, according to new research. The study by cloud software subscription service Zuora states UK millennials are ‘key drivers’ for the ‘subscription economy’, with 73% looking to increase subscription use over the next two years. Zuora’s A Nation Subscribed research involved 2,000 consumers and was carried out by YouGov. It shows 77% of 16-24 year olds and 85% of 25-34

Everyone’s heard of blockchain – but most people are less sure about what it really is, and how it might be used in transportation. Andrew Williams peers into cyberspace to find some answers. A growing number of organisations in the ITS industry are exploring how blockchain technology could be used for ITS and mobility applications. So, what exactly is blockchain technology? What are the key current and potential applications in the mobility and ITS sector? And what practical benefits might it bring?

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has unveiled its full-scale passenger capsule at a ceremony in Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain. The company says the Quintero One capsule is built almost entirely out of its Vibranium, a dual-layer smart composite material. Dirk Ahlborn, HyperloopTT co-founder and CEO, says: “In just five years we have solved and improved upon all of the technology needed for Hyperloop with our new levitation system, vacuum pumps, batteries and

Highways England has released timelapse footage which shows a 20-tonne gantry being lifted over the M6 during an overnight operation in June. The 40m-wide structure will host 10 electronic signs between junctions 18 and 19 is being installed as part of a £274 million smart motorway project in Cheshire. The scheme will be completed in phases with all roadworks due to be removed by Spring 2019.

Lime has deployed its electric scooters in Mexico to help improve air quality in the capital city. The Lime-S e-scooters are available in neighbourhoods such as Polanco, Anzures, Juarez, La Condesa and La Roma. Users can unlock and pay for the scooters for MEX$10 (40p/53c) through the company's app and are charged MEX$3 (12p/15c) per minute. Lime is also working with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) to help ensure the scooters are introduced safely into the city.

The Dutch government has banned electric carts following a road-rail collision which killed four children in the southern town of Oss. The Stint cart carrying the children - aged four to eight - was hit by a train at a level crossing, the BBC says. A witness heard the 32-year-old female driver from a daycare centre shout that her brakes had failed. The driver and a fifth child were seriously injured in the crash. Stints can carry up to 10 children who are strapped in with a s eatbelt. The driver is

Tolling specialist Q-Free has been selected by road infrastructure operator Sociedad Concesionaria Vespucio Norte Express to service and maintain roadside equipment in Chile. The seven-year year contract is approximately valued NOK30 million (£2.7 million). Håkon Volldal, president and CEO of Q-Free, says: “We are pleased to continue our services to Vespucio Norte and strengthen our presence in the growing Chilean tolling market.”

Kapsch TrafficCom says it is strengthening its presence in Latin America through the delivery of its traffic management systems in three countries. The combined value of the contracts is approximately €15 million. Kapsch’s EcoTrafix urban traffic management software will be used to integrate existing urban traffic control and management systems in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The solution is expected to improve coordination between agencies and will control more than 3,800 intersections, 60 variable message si

One in seven UK drivers would drive over a level crossing before the barrier or gate has opened, according to new research. Research agency Populus carried out a study on behalf of Network Rail which reveals six UK drivers have been killed at level crossings in the last five years. There are also around 46 incidents every week in the UK involving vehicles at level crossings – a third of which are caused by lorries, followed by cars at 28%. According to the report, one in nine drivers would go over a l

Hyperloop has the potential to create a $10 billion supply chain manufacturing ecosystem in the Middle East, says Virgin Hyperloop One. The company says it could also improve safety, decrease pollution and reduce congestion, and adds that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are well-placed to benefit from disruptive technologies in transportation, with governments from both countries exploring autonomous pods, driverless cars and flying taxis. Amjad Almkhalalati, director

Artificial intelligence (AI) company Stage Intelligence has confirmed Tom Nutley will replace Toni Kendall-Troughton as CEO. Troughton will continue to maintain her position on the board of directors. Stage Intelligence says it also intends to grow its Bico AI platform, which allows users to collect, manage and visualise data and turn it into actionable insights, the company says. It has already been deployed in bike share schemes in cities such as Paris, Helsinki, Chicago, and Guadalajara, Mexico.

Fully driverless cars will enter the UK in three to four years, says transport secretary Chris Grayling at the Conservative Party conference in the city of Birmingham. A report by Reuters says Grayling is committed to ending the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040. “Newer diesel cars today are cleaner than ever before and of course there will be a role for diesel for many years to come as technology evolves,” Grayling adds. However, OpenText has carried out a survey of 2,000 UK consumers,

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDoT) is installing Applied Information’s Internet of Things (IoT) technology in a bid to improve safety in school districts statewide. The Glance School Zone Beacon System is powered by AT&T’s 4G/LTE mobile network and will be implemented at more than 300 schools in 118 counties. School zone beacons, flashing signs which warn drivers to slow down, will be connected to IoT technology to help improve their responsiveness to schedule changes caused by severe weather