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ITS experts are invited to submit papers to be considered for presentation and publication at the ITS World Congress 2019 in Singapore. The International Programme Committee says submissions must be centred around themes and sub-topics such as crowdsourcing and big data analytics, cybersecurity and data privacy, innovative pricing and travel demand management and intelligent, connected and autonomous vehicles. Entries can also be based on the multimodal transport of people and goods, safety for drivers

Driverless technology company EasyMile has been awarded the Start Up of the Year in France for the south region by international consulting firm EY. The company says the award recognises its innovation and vision - and highlights its growth potential. Gilbert Cagnaire, CEO and founder of EasyMile, received the award at a ceremony in Toulouse. EasyMile will now enter the overall Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Start Up category on 18 October in Paris.

Utility company Tata Power and natural gas provider Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) are to develop a nationwide network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers in India. Rajnish Mehta, executive director, corporate strategy planning and business development, HPCL, says this will help EV drivers overcome issues such as range anxiety. “We believe that a robust network of charging stations is very critical for market acceptability of EVs which will also ensure last mile connectivity and thereby facilitate widespr

Avia, BP, Hastings Direct and Honda R&D have been named as founding members of a shared research programme (SRP) to test and develop transport technologies in the UK. The SRP is investing in a three-year year project at the Smart Mobility Living Lab: London (SMLL) led by the Transport Research Laboratory and DG Cities – the commercial arm of Digital Greenwich. SMLL, a set of routes in and around the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (site of the London 2012 Olympics), is

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) will upgrade the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority’s (LAMetro) automatic fare collection system, in a contract valued $22m. The system links to 25 regional agencies through the TAP smart card. CTS will develop an integrated app over the next 18 months. The company will also launch TAPforce, a cloud-based account which will allow commuters to take part in LAMetro’s Mobility as a Service programmes for parking and bike-sharing. Matt Newsome, general manager

Intrepid Control Systems says its NeoOBD2 Pro software development kit provides easy access for WiFi/BLE applications to available vehicle networks like CAN/CAN FD, LIN, and Ethernet. Developers can use the open platform OBD interface for automotive enterprise internet of things and wireless car applications, the company adds. The company’s NeoVI Ion, an expandable vehicle network adapter, logs vehicle data and transmits it via cellular or WiFi to the wireless neoVI server. Users can remotely download

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platforms will replace over 2.3 billion urban private car journeys by 2023, according to new research. This compares with 17.6 million globally in 2018. According to the study from Juniper Research, western Europe will account for 83% of global MaaS trips in 2023. Mobility-as-a-Service: Emerging Opportunities, Vendor Strategies & Market Forecasts 2018-2023 says Helsinki, Finland, will lead MaaS implementation, followed by Stockholm, Sweden and Vienna, Austria.

McCain has supplied 10 Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) cabinets for a newly opened corridor in Los Angeles which is expected to be safe for all users. The My Figueroa Corridor Streetscape Project (MyFig) was unveiled by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADoT). It covers four miles of streets stretching from the downtown area to the south part of the city. McCain says its 351 ATC cabinets has doubled the corridor’s output channels to 32, which will allow the city to add more sign

Teleste will deploy its on-board solutions for CAF’s metro projects in the Philippines and Italy in 2019. The technology is expected to allow transport operators to deliver timely information to passengers. The scope of the delivery includes 30 metro units in the city of Manila and 12 units in the city of Naples. Pekka Vänni, director of on-board solutions for Teleste, says: “In cities such as Manila, the availability of accurate and timely passenger information is essential for an effective public

Swarco has acquired German-based manufacturer Vialux Glasperlen and will use its glass beads to make road markings more visible at night, particularly on wet roads. Swarco has now obtained 100% shares in Vialux in a deal which it says will strengthen its glass bead portfolio. Philipp Swarovski, Swarco’s chief operating officer, says the agreement will allow Swarco to offer its customers even greater road safety. Daniel Sieberer, board member of Swarco and chief financial officer of the group, sa

Ride-sharing company Shohoz will use a $15m investment from venture capital firm Golden Gates Ventures to expand its on-demand service in Bangladesh. A report by the Dhaka Tribune says the company is now launching its ‘super-app’ strategy which will add food deliveries to its current offering. Maliha M Quadir, Shohoz founder and managing director, says: “To help Shohoz finance this growth, we have brought on board a great line-up of experienced international and regional investors, who I think will help

Enel X has will make its electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Rome, Italy, available to drivers signed-up to Evway by Route2020 app. The interoperability agreement is intended to make charging easier for customers of the integrated services company. According to Enel X, app users will be able to access the location of its stations, the power available, the type of outlet and recharging procedures. The company’s Enel X’s Quick (22 kW) stations will be available in urban areas while its Fast (50 kW)

PBSC Urban Solutions will make 1,000 Boost electric pedal-assist bikes available in Barcelona in 2019. The company says the bikes are easy to ride across longer distances, up steeper hills and against stronger headwinds. The deployment is part of an agreement with infrastructure operator Ferrovial and will also include 6,000 Iconic bikes. PBSC chief executive Luc Sabbatini says the partnership aims to promote the use of ‘hybrid bike-sharing’ technology as a convenient option for daily commuting. PBSC w

Kapsch TrafficCom has upgraded a traveller information system in Texas to help transportation agencies in Dallas-Fort Worth optimise traffic flow. The new system will also provide travellers with real-time traffic and transit information. Kapsch updated the 511DFW platform for the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). The company will maintain the system for two years and make improvements based on new data sources and customer feedback. The solution includes integrated applications such

The American Center for Mobility (ACM) will lead a study which seeks to autonomously control a fleet of trucks in Colorado. The two-year project will begin at the end of 2018, followed by a second deployment in Michigan. ACM says it has worked collaboratively to identify and pool resources to help accelerate the safe deployment of autonomous controlled trucks. As part of the programme, tests will be carried out at ACM’s purpose-built facility to assess the reliability of multi-truck convoys travelli