News

Electric vehicle manufacturer, BYD, is to supply Thai power company, Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), with their long-range, all-electric, five-passenger BYD e6s and charging pedestals. MEA is one of the three largest power companies in Thailand providing power for the capital Bangkok and two other large provinces and is promoting the development of electric vehicle industries in Thailand.

In a bid to improve traffic congestion and reduce violations, Shanghai is to increase its traffic cameras by 200 annually. The new cameras will be added to locations and crossroads with frequent congestion and violations and to transportation hubs, said police. Shanghai successfully introduced traffic cameras in 1996; by the early 2000s, traffic violation cases on some roads and intersections had dropped by up to 80 percent, and the city now has more than 1,900 sets of surveillance cameras at local crossroa

German headquartered Hoeft & Wessel has received an order for the Almex e-ticketing system from French bus company Les Cars Air France, operated by Aérolis, a joint subsidiary of Keolis and Air France, to be installed on buses operating between Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Paris Orly and the city of Paris. The order, the first in France for Hoeft & Wessel, comprises a total of 55 on-board ticket vending terminals with ticket printers, together with application software and integration into the back-office sy

OmniAir Certification Services (OCS) has granted 3M the first OmniAir certified awards for products tested in its 6C-for-Tolling Certification Program, to be presented at 80th IBTTA Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida on 10 September 2012. Based on the ISO/IEC 18000-6 (Type C) RFID protocol, the 6C certification program is designed to ensure tolling tag and reader interoperability (IOP) across equipment vendors and toll facilities that choose to deploy equipment certified as compliant to the 6C requirements

European Mobility Week (16-22 September 2012) sees the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) reaffirming its stance that a long-term commitment to invest in public transport is key to reducing congestion in European cities and encouraging the development of sustainable economies. With around 80% of Europeans expected to be living in urban environments by 2020, public transport is essential for ensuring quality of life and delivering green growth. Encouraging a modal shift from private motori

According to a recent report by the European Commission, EU member states are far behind schedule in implementation of the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS). It is already clear that the target date of 8 October 2012 for heavy duty vehicles will not be met. The system is designed to enable road users to pay tolls throughout the EU with one subscription contract, one service provider and one on-board unit. The aim is to eliminate cumbersome procedures for cross-border users. The legislation requires me

The successful launch of the Muvo SmartCard marks the beginning of the modern era of e-ticketing in the Durban region in South Africa. The Muvo card replaces ordinary tickets and functions as a kind of electronic wallet, allowing cash or ticket products to be loaded on to it at electronic terminals. As part of the new infrastructure, the eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) purchased the Almex Electronic Fare Collection system with ticket printer from German manufacturer Hoeft & Wessel. The system has been

Bus passengers in Montreal will soon be able to plan their journey using real time information, making trip planning easier and reducing frustration over late buses. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has approved a US$93 million contract to equip its 1,900 buses with a system, called iBus, that monitors the location of buses using GPS and relays that data to users via the web and smartphones.

Border controls in Maharashtra, the commercial capital state of India, are in the process of being automated by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in an effort to reduce processing times and traffic queues. Confidex, Finnish manufacturer of speciality RFID tags, has supplied its RFID windshield labels for use in the first fully automatic border control system to be installed, and utilises passive UHF RFID based Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) technology that enables both reli

Tata Communications has been chosen by Cargotec, supplier of cargo handling solutions worldwide, to provide Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity to over 150 Cargotec sites globally through Tata Communications’ round-the-world fibre optic cable network, claimed to be the world’s only wholly-owned subsea cable ring. Cargotec’s operations in over 50 countries across Europe, Asia, Middle East, Americas and Africa will benefit from increased capacity, speed, resilience and enhanced communications capabilities wh

The UK Government has announced an investment of £9 million (US$14.4 million) with a further £4 million (US$6.3 million) from industry into new Energy Storage R&D Centre which will work to accelerate the development of the next generation of batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills hopes that the new £13 (US$20.7 million) million centre, which will be based at the University of Warwick, will help the UK to capitalise on the growing electric and hybrid ve

In response to increased traffic density and demands on its transportation infrastructure, Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) has upgraded its Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS). New Jersey based Activu has installed state-of-the-art video wall displays and intelligent network-based visualisation software that integrates with 1,645 video detection cameras, 500 full-colour closed-circuit television cameras, its NaviGAtor II and 511 systems, changeable message signs, Navigator website, and s

ITS America has awarded the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) a Smart Solution Spotlight Award for a new web-based tool that allows truck owners to self-issue the permits and routes they need to move oversize and overweight loads on the state’s highway system. The Smart Solution Spotlight award is made to companies and organisations that use innovative technology to create a safer, cleaner, more efficient and sustainable transportation system. The

US based McCain, manufacturer and supplier of intelligent transportation systems, traffic control equipment and parking guidance solutions, has been awarded a one-year contract for 332 and 336S traffic controller cabinets and 170E traffic signal controllers by the City of Fort Worth, Texas. The company says 170/2070-style California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) approved traffic signal controllers and controller cabinets represent some of the most tried-and-true solutions the industry has to offer

Thales has announced that it has been awarded a framework contract by the Norwegian rail administrator, Jernbaneverket (JBV), to supply a new railway signal interlocking system. The first three projects in the contract, worth over US$41,400,000, are for new signalling systems for the Sandnes-Stavanger line, the Ganddal cargo terminal and Høvik station.