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The CHIC (Clean Hydrogen in European Cities) project, a zero-emission bus project, has saved over four million litres of fuel since it began, according to the project’s coordinators. As part of the project 56 fuel cell buses – emitting nothing but water-vapour - have been operating in eight cities: Aarau (Switzerland), Bozen (Italy), London (UK), Milan (Italy) and Oslo (Norway), Cologne and Hamburg (Germany) and Whistler (Canada).

Experts at the University of Huddersfield have won more than US$208,000 funding to develop a software-based asset management tool that will enable light railway operators to calculate the most appropriate rail wear limits for their system. This would mean longer intervals between maintenance and replacement, reducing disruption to passengers and costs to the operators, while maintaining safety levels.

Provincial Traffic Officers in South Africa have been issued with new hand-held devices by the Department of Transport and Public Works as a fast, information-verifying tool that will assist enforcement. These devices have been entirely developed and tested over the past two years by the Department and will be in operation across the Western Cape; a first of its kind in South Africa.

The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has unveiled a raft of measures to improve the safety of Britain’s roads, including US$3 million for research into driver education, including the possibility of giving learner drivers motorway experience with an instructor before taking their test.

The latest research by Research and Markets indicates that as Chinese passenger vehicle manufacturers accelerate to popularise telematics systems in 2015, smartphone integration and 4G LTE technologies have found wider application, and IVI (in-vehicle infotainment) and networking functions have got enriched and optimised to get better user experience.

Siemens has released a new Stratos journey time monitoring module (JTM), enabling traffic managers to manage real time journey information more effectively and help ensure optimal network operation.

Bombardier Transportation is to supply an additional 47 Bombardier Flexity trams to Berlin’s transport operator Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) as part of a framework agreement for a maximum of 206 vehicles signed in 2006. The Flexity Berlin concept was jointly developed by BVG and Bombardier Transportation, which they say has resulted in a 100 and barrier-free, leading edge tram providing easy access which is highly popular in Berlin and has already received several design awards.

The European Parliament has voted to approve the creation of an inquiry committee to investigate breaches of EU rules on car emission measurements. The committee will be tasked with carrying out a thorough investigation of the VW scandal. Following this examination, it will aim to set up a new procedure that will effectively prohibit similar emissions cheating in the future.

California’s Department of Motor vehicles (DMV) has issued its draft self-driving vehicle deployment regulations, which, according to Google’s self-driving car chief, Chris Urmson, are perplexing. The DMV has proposed a draft rule that would require a self-driving car to have a licensed driver at all times. Urmson says that while this maintains the same old status quo, it falls short on allowing this technology to reach its full potential, while excluding those who need to get around but cannot drive.

The UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) says exempting cars from the proposed Clean Air Zones in five English cities is a missed opportunity to significantly improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Nottingham and Derby would be required to introduce Clean Air Zones to reduce concentrations of nitrogen dioxide by 2020 at the latest.

After a successful trial, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, Transport for London (TfL), and Santander UK have announced that all 11,500 Santander Cycles will be fitted with Blaze Laserlights over time from early 2016. The project is largely funded by Santander UK as part of the partnership with TfL. The Blaze Laserlight projects the symbol of a bicycle shape six metres in front of the cycle, onto the ground, giving the cyclist a larger footprint on the road. This makes their presence known, alerts driv

The global ITS market is expected to reach US$38.68 billion by 2020, according to a new study by Grand View Research. Increasing demand for alleviating traffic congestion and growing need for enhancing existing transportation networks is expected to drive demand over the forecast period. Growing urban population and increased fund allotment by various governments across the globe is driving need for advanced transportation network. This is estimated to be fulfilled by proper use of wireless communication

Ptolemus Consulting Group has released the 2016 edition of its usage-based insurance global study by offering a free, 125-page abstract. Available to download today, the document reveals the key findings of the 1,000-page telematics insurance market analysis. With 230 active programmes and 12 million customers, usage-based insurance (UBI) is now a truly global phenomenon that reaches twice as many countries as two years ago. Ptolemus claims that by 2020, nearly 100 million vehicles globally will be in

Vehicles are electrifying at a breakneck speed and they are being completely reinvented with developments in many components and systems, according to a report by IDTechEx Research. Disruptive change and significant technological innovation is now being seen across all forms of electric vehicles for land, water and air. The fruits of all this are spectacular – from the vehicles themselves to over US$500 billion market opportunity that will be created by 2026. IDTechEx Research analyses and forecasts eve

Shift2Rail, the joint undertaking backed by the European Commission and the rail industry, has published its first calls for proposals, with funding of US$184 million to support innovation in railways. The Commission will contribute US$97 million, with the other US$86 million provided by the members of Shift2Rail. In order to receive funding, projects will have to demonstrate their ability to increase the quality, reliability and punctuality of rail services while cutting its costs and facilitating cros