UTC

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) must be part of future transport policies which prioritise efficiency and fairness, according to senior transport executives in the US and Canada. The second edition of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)’s Blueprint for Autonomous Urbanism sets out what it calls “the concrete steps that will need to be taken to ensure an equitable, people-first city”. NACTO is a collection of 81 North American cities and transit agencies which exchange ideas and coo

FIA Region 2 has warned that a driver only has to be distracted for two seconds to cause a crash. The FIA’s data suggests that to 25% of road crashes are due to distraction, with up to 30% of total driving time spent on distracting activities. Commissioner Violetta Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport, recently warned against distraction caused by using mobile phones. She said: “Distraction from mobile devices has become one of the top crash factors. Reports show it has even overtaken speed and alc

Wini Technologies has launched Winicabs, an automated dispatch software which it says unites taxis under one app in the city of Columbus, Ohio. Beyene Gola, president of the Independent Taxicab Association of Columbus, says: "Taxi companies have historically been spread across the city with no easy way to connect.” Wini Technologies, an Irish technology start-up, says riders can hail the closest driver, track their rides, book trips in advance and pay fares through the app, money or credit card. Riders

Australian state capitals are paying $25 billion per year on avoidable congestion - and could end up paying $40bn by 2030 unless there is a policy change. That is the stark warning from Alan Tudge, federal minister of population, cities and urban infrastructure, who spoke at Australia’s seventh ITS Summit. Discussing how ITS technologies can help solve gridlock, he described some of the projects which fall under the Australian government’s $100bn programme of transport infrastructure expenditure – suc

Ride-share company Via has expanded its operating zone in Chicago by offering a mobility service to and from 65 Chicago Transit Authority and Metra stations for $2.50. This rate is available to riders booking trips up to two miles within the zone, which includes areas such as Austin, Garfield and South Deering. Alex Lavoie, US general manager of Via, says the service will “provide greater access across the entire city for residents, workers and visitors in these communities.” Using the Via app, passenge

DiDi Chuxing has launched a robo-taxi pilot in Shanghai which it says will allow passengers to hail vehicles from its app. DiDi is to deploy 30 autonomous vehicles (AVs) operating at SAE Level 4 in the Jiading District of Shanghai. Initially, the programme will comprise AVs and manually-driven vehicles. The company showcased the robo-taxi service on a closed tract at Shanghai’s World Artificial Intelligence Conference. The Shanghai government awarded DiDi permits to test its AV fleet last month.

The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) says that future road safety will require innovation rather than repeating past measures. Speaking at the UK Department for Transport (DfT)’s International Road Safety Conference, TRL’s academy director Richard Cuerden discussed why a paradigm shift is needed in the transport sector’s approach to road safety interventions to ensure road casualties are reduced significantly by 2030. The number of deaths on the world’s roads remains unacceptably high, with an e

PBSC Urban Solutions is adding 120 electric bikes to Bixi Montréal’s fleet in a pilot project taking place in the Canadian province until 15 November. PBSC says its E-Fit’s central motor propels riders up to 32km/h on a full charge and has an autonomy range of up to 70km. Bixi’s fleet of trucks and warehouse in Montréal will be used to recharge the E-Fit batteries. The E-Fit electric pedal-assist bikes can be docked at any station in the network and are available to Bixi members and casual riders via th

Google is to pair transit directions with bike- and ride-share options within Google Maps in a bid to improve first and last mile journeys. Google says users will be able to enter their destination in the search box, tap ‘Directions’ to see routes that feature ride-share and cycling options paired with transit directions. For ride-sharing, individuals can view information on how much the ride will cost, waiting time, traffic lights and an option to choose their favourite provider. Cyclists will be able

Transport for London (TfL) has chosen IT company Sopra Steria to develop software to help tackle congestion and road danger in the UK capital. TfL is responsible for managing 580km of London’s roads, as well as managing a range of assets including 6,000 traffic lights, its tunnels and some bridges. The partners will seek to develop a control centre system that provides a single view of everything happening on the road network. Glynn Barton, TfL's director of network management, says the partnership wi