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Electric vehicle (EV) charging technology provider, OpConnect has introduced smartphone payment technology for its OpConnect network EV charging stations. EV drivers can use the OpConnect iPhone app, or other smartphone scanners to access free stations or to pay for a charging session at stations that require payment. Mobile payments are just one of many payment options available to OpConnect network members and non-members. OpConnect stations can be accessed in a variety of ways including using an email

Arcontia International, Swedish producer of contactless smart card readers and terminals, is to supply fare collection equipment manufacturer LECIP with a smart card based fare collection solution for the City of Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus (BBB) public transport operator. The system will be installed on Big Blue Buses operating throughout the City of Santa Monica and the greater Los Angeles area, providing transport to more than 20 million people annually. Arcontia contactless smartcard readers will be in

The 2012 ITS World Congress in Vienna saw the signing of a liaison agreement between TISA (Traveller Information Services Association) and the GENIVI Alliance. Signed by Thomas Kusche (TISA President) and Ton H. Steenman (Vice President, Intel Architecture Group, a founding charter member of the GENIVI Alliance), the agreement sets the framework for an exchange of TISA specifications between the two communities with the aim of harmonising protocols in the areas of common interest. More specifically, it is i

The first electric bus (eBus) to be used in Austria’s capital city of Vienna has been put into service by the municipal transport authority, Wiener Linien, the first operator in Europe to implement and integrate eBuses into scheduled service. Designed and developed by Siemens Rail Systems and bus manufacturer Rampini, the vehicle is the first of twelve with which Wiener Linien intends to move two of the city's bus services to electric power by the summer of 2013. The vehicle’s total energy requirement is st

According to a new report by Global Industry Analysts (GIA), the global Intelligent Transportation Systems market is projected to reach US$22.7 billion by the year 2018, driven primarily by the need to enhance road safety by efficiently managing traffic, enforcing speed limits and easing traffic congestion. Rising demand from developing nations to incorporate ITS solutions also bodes well for the future of the market. The report provides a comprehensive review of trends, product developments, mergers, acqu

Bronx bus passengers will soon be able to avoid waits at bus stops and get bus-arrival information on their home computer, smartphone or mobile phone. With MTA Bus Time, passengers can access a map showing where buses are along a particular route. They can also request a text telling them where the nearest bus is on the route. Developed by New York’s Metropolitan transit Authority (MTA), Bus Time uses accurate location data provided by an enhanced GPS device mounted inside each bus. That information is int

After a long wait for the green light from the central government, the much-anticipated electronic road pricing (ERP) system is expected to be implemented in Jakarta city in 2013, governor Joko Widodo has said. The ERP system is intended to discourage motorists from using private cars and opt for public transportation instead. The initial plan is for the ERP to be implemented on roads in the current “three-in-one” car-pooling zones and replace the city’s old car-pooling system. Under the three-in-one syste

Robot Nederland, part of Jenoptik's Traffic Solutions division, has recently been awarded a contract to deliver up to 225 mobile speed enforcement systems to police forces in the Netherlands. The contract is for Jenoptik’s Multanova MultaRadar CD mobile speed enforcement system. The system uses a radar sensor which Jenoptik says is capable of capturing high resolution images of offending vehicles regardless of time of day or weather conditions. The contract is for tripod-mounted systems and both front and

ITS Vision 2012

Following a series of consultations with stakeholders, South Africa’s Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), led by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, Cabinet, has recommended that the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) should proceed with the implementation of an e-tolling system.

Europe’s POSSE (Promoting Open Specifications and Standards in Europe) is developing best practice guidelines for open urban transport systems, including case study examples, which will be open to all and which will set out the process for implementing open specifications and standards. POSSE believes open specifications and standards offer many benefits especially the ease with which different Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) can share and exchange information.

California’s regional transportation officials are taking a comprehensive approach to relieving clogged arteries that affect the health of commuters and cities along a 22-mile stretch of the Interstate 80 corridor from the Carquinez Bridge to the MacArthur Maze.

The 5th Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Drive ‘n’ Ride event was recently held in Strasbourg, France, under the patronage of Brian Simpson, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and chair of the European Parliament’s transport and tourism committee, to demonstrate the readiness of fuel cells and hydrogen as a viable route to zero emission transport in Europe.