UTC

Finnish technology company Teleste will install a ‘situational awareness’ (S-aware) platform on Helsinki’s metro system. Part of a €2 million contract to improve passenger safety, the solution will be rolled out gradually next year and is expected to be complete in 2020. S-Aware collects real-time information from various subsystems and data sources to display a real-time view of the operational infrastructure. Teleste says the system will allow Helsinki City Transport to respond better to secur

French car manufacturer Groupe PSA says its ‘free-floating’ car-share service provides members in Washington, DC with access to 600 vehicles. The Free2Move service is available to drivers for a $10 membership fee and does not include late fees, per trip fees or insurance charges, the company adds. Members can use the Free2Move app to locate, book and open/lock the vehicles. This pilot coincides with Maven’s announcement to expand its peer-to-peer car-share service in Washington, DC – and other US

Nearly all UK drivers with keyless technology are unaware of the major digital threats posed by hackers, according to research conducted by MoneySuperMarket. The study reveals that 99% of drivers are unaware of security flaws such as phone phishing, where hackers send emails to drivers which contain malicious links that connect to a car’s Wi-Fi features and take control. MoneySuperMarket says 16% of drivers - or someone they know - have experienced car hacking. Also, eight out of 10 drivers do not k

Ride-hailing company Grab has launched a programme to make its service safer for drivers and passengers in south-east Asia. As part of the Safer Everyday Tech Roadmap initiative, Grab’s analytics tool works with the company’s app to help employees understand how to improve driving behaviour. Drivers also receive telematics reports on speeding, acceleration and breaking as well as reminders from a fatigue monitoring system on how long they have been travelling without taking a rest. Tan Hooi Ling, Gr

Urbanova, telecommunications company Verizon and the city of Spokane, Washington, are collaborating on smart city solutions to tackle congestion and improve parking within the university district. Urbanova is a consortium of researchers and professionals whose stated aim is to make cities more sustainable through technological development. David Condon, mayor of Spokane, says Urbanova and Verizon will share resources around technology applications and data delivery to help achieve smarter infrastructure

Nextbike Polska, a developer of bike sharing systems, will focus on the Polish market, which it anticipates will have up to 60,000 city bikes by 2025. The company says this growth will stem from an increase in the current 26,000 bikes in use today as well as the deployment of new models. A report by The First News says Nextbike plans to streamline its organisation and will focus on expanding in Finland, where it has already deployed 300 bikes. By the end of the year, Nextbike estimates it will s

Econolite has hired one of the best-known names in the ITS industry: Kirk Steudle is joining the company with a remit to fulfil two key roles. Steudle, the former director of Michigan Department of Transportation (MDoT), will be senior vice president, leading Econolite’s Transportation Systems Group and also in charge of CAVita, its connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AV) subsidiary. His responsibilities will include all C/AV projects and large-scale systems projects. Steudle had spent his entire

Traffic can be a really big challenge. When you’re stuck, you’re stuck. Everything comes to a standstill. But Alexander Lewald describes how existing infrastructures can be used more efficiently and how demand can be managed. A few figures to start with: in Los Angeles, the average driver spends 102 hours a year in traffic – that’s more than four days. This figure is 91 hours in Moscow and New York, 74 in London, 69 in Paris, 51 hours in Munich and still 40 hours in Vienna. Traffic is what causes

Volocopter will trial its air taxis in Singapore’s urban environments in the second half of 2019. The initiative is expected to lead to public demonstration flights. The company says the eVtols, based on drone technology, can carry two passengers for a distance up to 30 km. These air taxis can manoeuvre safely around skyscrapers to ensure a smooth ride for passengers, Volocopter adds. Volocopter will work with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to establish the scope of the trials

Connected and autonomous vehicles are an exciting development in the ITS sector – but amid the hype some big questions about their deployment remain unanswered, finds Ben Spencer Connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AVs) have the potential to change the way we travel - and to eliminate road fatalities. But policy makers and regulators will need to ensure user and public safety is included in future planning. The legal and insurance industries will have to catch up, too. For example, questions over who is