News

Cubic has appointed Dan Hedstrom vice and president and chief information officer (CIO), where he will lead the company’s global IT team. Hedstrom will manage Cubic’s information security and platform services as well as business support. He will report Bradley Feldmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer. Hedstrom was previously vice president of system solutions and services for the Cubic Transportation Systems, where he oversaw the business division’s commercial IT team in North America,

Bus operator Nobina is to acquire parts of public transport company Örslev Holding to offer special public transport services in Denmark. The scope of the DKr.15.5 million (£1.8m) deal includes 16 buses which offer regular services in South Zealand coastal area and 21 buses for special needs transportation. Nobina has also taken steps to transition in the electric mobility space. In 2018, the company deployed 13 electric buses from Volvo Buses in the Swedish city of Malmö. The Volvo 7900 Electric buses

Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance is to develop a system which will allow local governments to carry out virtual tests of autonomous vehicles (AV). A report by The Japan News says the insurance company is hoping to reduce costs associated with real-world testing by providing a virtual environment which will feature road conditions based on 3D maps. This project stems from an agreement with Tier IV, a developer of autonomous driving technologies and measuring technology firm Aisan Technology. The system

Videalert is launching a refit service for mobile enforcement vehicles (MEV), which it says will allow UK councils to extend the operational life of existing assets. The firm claims that the service will allow councils who obtain MEVs from suppliers such as TES and SEA to replace analogue technology with high-definition cameras which offer capture rates up to 98%. The vehicles achieve this capture rate by making a single pass at normal road speeds rather than having to make multiple passes at speeds

Tata Motors is to deploy 40 electric buses to Lucknow City Transport Services in India to support the government’s efforts for promoting electric vehicles (EVs). The delivery is part of a larger order in which 255 e-buses will be delivered to six public transport undertakings including WBTC (West Bengal), LCTSL (Lucknow), AICTSL (Indore), ASTC (Guwahati), J&KSRTC (Jammu) and JCTSL (Jaipur). Tata says its Ultra Electric buses will have a range of up to 150km on a single charge and will operate between

UITP has opened two regional training centres in Istanbul, Turkey, and Shenzhen, China, to provide its members with courses in sustainable mobility. The international organisation for public transport says Istanbul was chosen for its bus rapid transit systems while Shenzhen was selected for its developments in electric buses and e-taxis. The project is part of an agreement with Shenzhen Bus and Marmara Municipalities Union in Istanbul. The Shenzhen regional training centre will offer courses in

Energy company Vector has partnered with Dutch start-up Chargetrip to launch an electric vehicle (EV) journey planning app in New Zealand aimed at reducing ‘range anxiety’ for drivers. Range anxiety is a term used to describe the stress EV users experience when their destination could be further than their vehicle can travel without charging. The project, supported by growth accelerator Elemental Excelarator, is seeking to help drivers switch to electric driving. The app will offer information o

Volocopter has joined forces with Fraport to develop concepts for the ground infrastructure required to allow air taxis at Frankfurt Airport in Germany. Volocopter says its partnership with German airport manager Fraport will focus on integrating what it calls ‘Volocopter Ports’ into existing infrastructure. The company believes that these could be used in the future to serve as a link between existing urban transportation junctions and provide connections to and from the airport. The Volocopter

The government of Canada is investing CAN$300,000 in the construction of six electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers in Vancouver. This funding is part of the government’s CAN$182.5m investment to develop a fast-charging network for EVs and establish natural gas stations along roads and hydrogen stations in metropolitan areas. The chargers are partially funded through the Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative, a programme which falls under Canada’s $180 billion Inves

Init has launched a simulation and planning tool which it says will allow transit agencies and bus manufacturers to integrate electric vehicles (EV) into fleets The company says the eMobile-Plan can be used to simulate scenarios using different types of electric buses, different placements of charging stations within a network, as well as route profiles and temperature ranges to generate efficient timetables, blocks and duty schedules. Also, agencies can use the solution to define the medium and long-t

Telecoms company China Mobile is working with highway operators to unveil a 5G-based smart expressway programme in China’s central Hubei province. A report by Ecns.com says the company’s Hubei subsidiary is taking steps to choose sites for 5G stations, test intelligent tolling systems and prepare for trials involving driverless cars. China Mobile’s Hubei branch is working with the group’s tech subsidiary in Shanghai and with Hubei Provincial Communications Investment to investigate how ultrafast 5G

Cognitive Technologies has joined forces with Russian manufacturer PC Transport Systems to deploy an autonomous tram on the streets of Moscow by 2022. Cognitive says that its simplified system means autonomous trams will appear on public roads much earlier than self-driving cars. The company claims its system will detect vehicle and other trams, traffic lights, pedestrians, tram and bus stops, railway and switches and obstacles. Also, the technology will allow the tram to stop in front of obstacles a

Drivers who ply their trade on apps such as Uber could be under greater scrutiny as part of proposals being put forward by the UK government. The potential risk to passengers from the explosion of ride-hailing apps, as private-hire drivers are perceived to receive less thorough vetting – for example, to flag up past convictions – has long been argued. Incidents such as the murders of passengers by a Didi driver in China heightened such concerns - although critics point out that a US Uber driver who ad

Lyft is launching a Green Mode feature within its app to provide riders in Seattle with the option to travel in an electric or hybrid vehicle. The move follows the company’s planned introduction of thousands of electric vehicles (EVs) onto its platform this year. Lyft says the deployment will allow its drivers to increase net earnings as it says the cost of travelling in an EV is half that of a petrol-powered car, therefore saving hundreds of dollars per month on fuel costs. Drivers can switch

The Netherlands is the number one country in terms of readiness to deploy autonomous vehicles (AVs) – except for one small problem: bicycles. People on two wheels - in this notoriously bike-friendly country - pose a problem for the deployment of AVs in built-up areas, according to research by KPMG. “We have a lot of bicycles,” says Stijn de Groen, manager digital advisory, automotive, at KPMG in the Netherlands. “In urban, crowded areas it will be very difficult to start autonomous driving.” Leavin