News

Swarco is to supply 100 mobile variable message signs (VMS) to SRL Traffic Systems in the UK as part of a £2.25 million deal. Alison Spooner, commercial director at SRL, a manufacturer of portable and temporary traffic equipment, says the company is aiming to establish a VMS division which comprises 500 signs. Swarco says its solar-powered VMS signs are equipped with energy-efficient LEDs capable of displaying full colour text and images. SRL will use Swarco’s Zephyr solution to set messages rem

Hyundai Auto Canada has launched Nexo, a fuel cell-powered SUV which it will make available to members of the public via Modo’s car-sharing service. The partners are seeking to make the fuel cell vehicles available to a wider audience and allow Canadians to learn more about the technology. Hyundai says Nexo runs on hydrogen, allowing it to emit clean water vapour and purify the air as it isbeing driven. Drivers who refill the engine for five minutes will be provided with a range of up to 570km,

Connected technology firm Sprint is to launch a commercial 5G service in May. Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City will be the first of its nine markets, with Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, DC expected to follow by the end of June. The company has also created an interactive exhibition, the Sprint 5G Experience, at its Kansas HQ to explain how the communications protocol works and what difference it will make to people’s lives. Steve Gaffney, Sprint vice president

Micromobility innovations such as dockless bikes have been welcomed by users – but in many cases have been dreaded in the cities where they have been launched, as abandoned bicycles and scooters have caused problems for local residents.

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

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