Skip to main content

Sharing real-time information ‘could save the transport sector billions each year’

A European research project led by Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands makes real-time information available for the whole transport chain for the first time. The GET Service software platform, which is being presented at an international symposium in Rotterdam on 1 October, enables a flexible response to unforeseen circumstances, making transport faster, more environmentally friendly and cheaper each year by many billions. The researchers are confident that the total fuel consumption
September 29, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
A European research project led by Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands makes real-time information available for the whole transport chain for the first time.

The GET Service software platform, which is being presented at an international symposium in Rotterdam on 1 October, enables a flexible response to unforeseen circumstances, making transport faster, more environmentally friendly and cheaper each year by many billions. The researchers are confident that the total fuel consumption in the EU can be reduced by some 2 billion litres and CO2 emissions cut by 6.5 million annually.

A collaborative project involving transport companies and research institutions, led by researchers Remco Dijkman and Paul Grefen, has spent three years developing a software platform that allows transport routes to be adjusted in the light of unforeseen circumstances.

GET Service solves a major problem in the transport sector, say the researchers. It makes real-time information available for every transporter, about the location of goods, how busy the road is, the weather conditions and more. This kind of information is currently lacking and planning is made in advance. “What is holding transporter back is a fear of market share if they share information,” Dijkman says.

This widely backed European platform, largely funded by the European Union, is intended to put an end to this problem. The platform enables plans to be made and adjusted on the basis of up-to-the-minute information and the availability of transport. The researchers are confident that the total fuel consumption in the EU can be reduced by some 2 billion litres and CO2 emissions cut by 6.5 million annually by improving the use of environmentally-friendly means of transport and cutting the number of ‘empty’  trucks on the road.

Partners in the project include Eindhoven University of Technology, Portbase in Rotterdam, IBM Research in Zürich, Jan de Rijk Logistics in Roosendaal, PTV in Karlsruhe, Wirtschaftuniversität in Vienna and Exus in Athens.

Related Content

  • February 3, 2012
    Embedded connectivity delivers real time travel information
    Ton Brand describes the GSM Association's Embedded mTelematics programme. As the world's roads become increasingly crowded, consumers and businesses are demanding better real-time information to help them both avoid traffic congestion and make smarter use of public transport. Embedding mobile connectivity directly into vehicles can enable drivers and passengers to see live traffic flows in their localities, as well as the expected arrival time of the next bus, ferry or tram
  • April 2, 2021
    Transit takes on demanding role
    Community transport - or paratransit - has historically formed the basis of demand-responsive operations. But with new routing technologies, David Crawford sees wider potential
  • May 28, 2014
    Smoothing out city freight movements
    David Crawford welcomes a national first. Urban freight movements, while commercially and socially vital, are a growing logistical headache for planners and people alike. Figures from France’s Lyon Laboratory of Transport Economics indicate that goods transport in major urban areas accounts for: 20% of traffic; 35% of CO2 emissions made by all urban trips; and 50% of the diesel used; while final km delivery runs account for 20% of the total cost of the transport chain.
  • March 17, 2016
    Inland waterways can de-stress city roads
    David Crawford looks at an under-utilised solution for city-centre deliveries. The use of rivers and canals for moving freight is a well-established mode in North Western Europe, where it can take advantage of an intensively developed network. In the Netherlands, 40% of the total volume of goods transported internally goes by water; the figure for Flanders (the neighbouring Dutch-speaking region of Belgium) is 11.5%.