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February 12, 2019
UK government pledges £6m on chargepoints for ultra-low emission taxis
The UK government is investing more than £6 million in the deployment of chargepoints to support ultra-low emission taxis across the country. The money will be used to install nearly 300 rapid points and 46 fast ones in 17 local authorities, including Greater Manchester, Brighton & Hove and Leicester. Rapid chargepoints are typically able to charge an EV to 80% in 30 minutes depending on the model’s battery capacity while fast charging is expected to deliver more than 60 miles of range in 10-30 minu
February 12, 2019
New York gov: introduce Manhattan road pricing ‘or face 30% fare rise’
New York’s governor has suggested that unless some form of dynamic pricing is imposed on motorists in the city, there will be a 30% hike in public transit fares and tolls. Democrat Andrew Cuomo said the stiff Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) price rise would hit those using subways, buses, tunnels and bridges, Associated Press (AP) reports. He is calling for tolls which charge motorists entering the most congested areas of Manhattan – south of 60th Street – which he believes could raise $1
February 12, 2019
Latin American micromobility firms merge to form Grow
Two micromobility firms in Latin America have joined forces to create a new outfit, Grow Mobility. Electric scooter company Grin, and dockless bike provider Yellow, have merged and say they plan to double their combined 135,000-strong fleet. Currently in six countries - Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay and Chile - Grow will expand into “new markets”, the new entity says. For the moment, the companies are maintaining their separate apps and brands under the Grow holding company, and they hav
February 11, 2019
European Start-up Prize for Mobility reveals first 150 projects
The European Start-up Prize for Mobility has whittled down 568 entrants to 150 projects. These will go on to the next stage of the competition – the second year that the accelerator programme for sustainable mobility options has been run – when their number will be reduced to 50 later this month. The organisers say more established start-ups have entered this time, with 58% in business for more than three years, and an average of 14 employees. “This is partly explained by the maturing and expansion
February 11, 2019
Indra’s Davaq demos accurate high-occupancy ID in US trial
Indra says its Davaq free-flow identification system has scored the highest overall accuracy rate – 88% - in a US trial to detect high-occupancy vehicles. The real-world test was set up by the by the San Francisco Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission to look at automatic detection of such vehicles on the I-880 – a vital precursor to implementing lane restrictions or new dynamic pricing strategies such as smart tolling. Davaq picks up the vehicle type and its front and rear occupants in r
February 11, 2019
MaaS could lead to ‘unintended negative consequences’, say UK politicians
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) could lead to ‘unintended negative consequences’, according to influential figures in the UK parliament. The House of Commons Transport Committee’s report on MaaS suggested that increased road congestion and poorer air quality – as well as ‘social and digital exclusion’ – could be the unwanted outcomes of the widespread adoption of MaaS schemes. “Early research and piloting of MaaS should focus not only on maximising the potential benefits but also on mitigating potential
February 11, 2019
ITS European Congress 2020 to be hosted by Lisbon
ITS European Congress 2020 is to take place in Lisbon, bringing together international mobility stakeholders next year in the Portuguese capital. Organised by Ertico – ITS Europe, the Congress will be themed 'ITS - The Game Changer’ and is an opportunity to display Lisbon's latest achievements in the field of intelligent mobility services. The memorandum of understanding was signed by Ertico CEO Jacob Bangsgaard, Rui Camolino, president of ITS Portugal, and Miguel Gaspar, mobility councillor for Lisb
February 8, 2019
LAMetro and Via launch ride-sharing service at three metro stations
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LAMetro) has partnered with Via to offer a ride-sharing service to and from three metro stations. The one-year pilot, supported by a $1.3 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration, is being trialled at Artesia, El Monte and North Hollywood. Daniel Ramot, CEO and co-founder of Via, says the company’s passenger matching and vehicle routing algorithm will connect customers with the three transit hubs in their communities. Rid
February 8, 2019
Miovision partners with CT Group to distribute traffic signal platform across US
Traffic signal control specialist CT Group is to distribute Miovision’s TrafficLink ITS platformacross the US in a new partnership between the two companies. The exclusive deal will see CT selling the product in 31 states from Alaska to Wyoming. TrafficLink is a turnkey solution for remote traffic signal management, with managed cellular connection and tools for signal monitoring, video streaming, maintenance alerts and traffic data insights. “As more cities aim to become data-driven smart cities,
February 8, 2019
Car-sharing locations need to be revised to tackle car ownership, says Drivy
The only way to reduce car ownership is to stop putting car-sharing vehicles in places where people travel - and start putting them in places where they live. This was one of the main messages from the 'Future of Global Urban Mobility' event, hosted in London last night by global research agency Kadence International. Speaking at the London Transport Museum, Patrick Foster, chief business development officer at car-share marketplace Drivy, says: "OEMs want to give you a car for free if you start sha
February 8, 2019
US road infrastructure ‘needs more technology’, says leading Republican
“America will never have the infrastructure system it needs and deserves if we don’t do a better job of incorporating technology,” said leading Republican Sam Graves. He leads the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the US House of Representatives and made the comments this week at a hearing entitled ‘The Cost of Doing Nothing: Why Investing in Our Nation’s Infrastructure Cannot Wait’. Ranking member Graves said: “Compared to other countries, our infrastructure is falling behind, and in so
February 7, 2019
THEA tests connected vehicle technology in Florida
The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) in Florida trialled connected vehicle technology which it says could lead to collision avoidance in real life. The test was carried out as part of the THEA Connected Vehicle (CV) pilot, an initiative which relies on wireless communication between onboard units that have been mounted on poles along the Slemon Expressway and throughout downtown Tampa. A special rearview mirror was installed in eight vehicles to display safety alerts to drivers. The ve
February 7, 2019
Cotares adds Parking Tours to its public developer site
Cotares, which specialises in software for navigation and mapping, has added a tool to encourage the development of smart parking solutions to its public developer site. The firm says Parking Tours is designed for the developers of route finding and guidance systems to change their offering from ‘A-to-B’ into ‘A-to-park-near-B’ where on-street parking is available. The company suggests that route guidance can be augmented by an optimised parking search (a ‘Tour’) that adapts to driver preferences, parking
February 7, 2019
Go-Ahead uses Dovu’s blockchain tech to augment customer data
UK train and bus company Go-Ahead is to use Dovu’s blockchain-driven reward platform to gain more data on its passengers. The scheme will be rolled out initially on Go-Ahead’s Thameslink and Southern Rail train services and offers passengers using the Dovu platform the chance to earn cryptocurrency when they share their travel information. This will be used to help them make changes to their travel behaviour, the companies say. Among other things, Dovu aims to encourage the use and sharing of tran
February 7, 2019
No need for safety drivers in AVs, says UK government
The UK government has signalled that it is ready to allow autonomous vehicles (AVs) with no driver to be tested on public roads. It is already committed to having fully self-driving vehicles on UK roads by 2021. At present, operators are legally required to test AVs only when “a driver is present, in or out of the vehicle, who is ready, able, and willing to resume control of the vehicle”. But the Department for Transport (DfT)’s updated code of practice on trialling AVs on public roads - as opposed t