News

The Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) is to deploy 15 electric buses in Guwahati, a city in north-east India. The project is part of the Indian government’s FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme. A report by Business Standard says each bus will carry up to 31 passengers along a 6.4km route between the neighbourhoods of Kachari and Kamakhya. ASTC will operate a second service along a 38km route from the Inter State Bus Terminal while also running another service in

O2 and the European Space Agency are working together to support a project aimed at developing connectivity solutions for connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs) in the UK. O2 says Project Darwin will seek to test new technology and solutions involving 5G and satellite communications over the next four years. Catherine Mealing-Jones, director of growth at the UK Space Agency, says: “AVs need robust, high-speed mobile data connections to operate effectively. Building the technology to link them to tele

Ficosa has received European RED certification for its CarCom platform with cellular vehicle to everything (C-V2X) technology. The company says the CarCom platform allows users to integrate the DSRC (802.11p) and C-V2X connectivity options in a modular way while also offering a dual mode variant. Ficosa intends to use the certification to supply automotive components in collaborative systems for smart cities. The solution integrates Qualcomm’s technology and was certified in collaboration with Dekra Lab

Viettel Post has developed a ride-hailing app for riders in Vietnam called MyGo for car, motorbike, delivery and transport services. A report by Vietnam+ says the postal and delivery company will add transport services by truck to its app and will aim to avoid increasing prices during peak hours. The company is now seeking driver partners on the run-up to its official launch in July. South-east Asia is fertile ground for mobility services: in January, FastGo launched its ride-hailing, delivery and cater

Via has launched an on-demand shared transit system for people over the age of 60 in the City of Newton, Massachusetts. Via says the service replaces a taxi voucher system which required passengers to make reservations at least 72 hours in advance. The company will also offer trips to a range of medical facilities outside the city’s boundaries. Using the Via app, riders can hail a vehicle from their smartphone. The company’s algorithms allow riders to share the vehicle and directs users to a nearby pick-

October’s ITS World Congress in Singapore will address topics under the theme ‘Smart Mobility, Empowering Cities’. The congress is being organised by the Land Transport Authority of Singapore and the Intelligent Transport Society Singapore in collaboration with ITS Asia-Pacific, ITS America and Ertico – ITS Europe. ITS International is the event’s official media partner. Autonomous vehicles, multimodal transport, cybersecurity and data privacy will be covered at this year’s event. Delegates and participa

Thales is to provide its SelTrac Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) system for the City of Ottawa’s Stage 2 O-Train Confederation Line Extension project in Canada. Thales says the line will take 780,000 annual rush-hour bus trips off the road and will carry up to 24,000 customers per hour. Once complete, it will run from Trim Road and west to Baseline Road and Moodie Drive across 29 stations spanning a distance of 40km. The CBTC moves block signalling technologies to actively manage the track in r

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has purchased 373 Volvo SB3 buses which come with Euro 6 (B8RLE) emissions engines. Mattar Al Tayer, director general at RTA, says: "The purchase of the new buses comes as part of an integrated strategic plan developed by the authority to upgrade the mass transportation system in Dubai.” RTA says each bus will be able to carry up to 74 passengers and will feature interactive touch screens which display information on the journey. The driver behaviour monito

Vitronic is to deliver 750 Poliscan Redlight systems to an unnamed client to help improve safety at road junctions in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. Vitronic says the laser-based system can simultaneously monitor infringements such as jumping red lights and speeding while removing the need for sensor installations within road surfaces. The Poliscan Connect software carries out the automatic transfer of case data and allows users to monitor the systems online while offering remote access to

Panasonic North America has entered into a $50 million partnership with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDoT) to develop an advanced transportation data network. Panasonic says the network will improve safety and mobility on the road by sharing data between vehicles, infrastructure, roadways and traffic operators in real-time. The network is expected to provide the UDoT traffic operations centre with insights into crashes, severe weather or stalled vehicles. Personnel working at the centre wi

Rekor Systems is to launch a camera recognition solution which it says is designed to read the vehicle make, model, number plate, colour and body type. The Rekor Edge solution comes with an accuracy rate exceeding 99% and is suitable for parking and law enforcement, the company adds. Rod Hillman, chief operating officer of Rekor, says: “With Rekor Edge, we’re democratising vehicle recognition solutions by bringing a cost-efficient and user-friendly solution to potential markets.” According to Rektor, th

Kapsch TrafficCom is to oversee the infrastructure integration of the Smart Columbus Connected Vehicle Environment (CVE) in the US city of Ohio. The CVE is expected to improve safety and mobility for vehicle operators and pedestrian safety in school zones through connected vehicle infrastructure. It is part of the Smart Columbus programme, an initiative which shares lessons learned and best practices from integrating ITS in a bid to increase transportation mobility and safety. Kapsch will deploy

Keolis is to operate and maintain the French Riviera Urban Community’s public transport network ‘Zest’, in a deal expected to generate a total revenue of €60 million. Keolis is seeking to improve the transport network across 15 cities and villages of the community located along the Mediterranean coastline in southeast France. The company will also roll out digital services such as Wi-Fi in all buses. From 8 July, the company’s subsidiary Keolis Menton Riviera will start running regular and extracurri

PayTollo is launching its mobile payment platform for toll roads and bridges in the US states of California, Texas, Florida, Colorado and Washington. The company says the platform reduces costs and the time needed for toll authorities to collect funds by removing the need for paper invoices. According to PayTollo, the solution’s GPS toll recognition technology algorithm and user interface can notify, verify and charge a driver for toll crossings. Alternatively, drivers can also use the tolling solution

Cohda Wireless has partnered with India-based Sasken Technologies to accelerate the adoption of vehicle to everything (V2X) in connected vehicles utilising cellular or dedicated short range communication (DSRC). Cohda will combine its wireless DSRC/C-V2X stack and applications with Sasken’s telematics control unit with the stated aim of making road transport safer and smarter. Calvin Nichols, vice president at Sasken, says the partners are seeking to create a “telematics reference design” that will bene