UTC

The government of Japan is to introduce a low-speed electric vehicle (EV) service for elderly people travelling to shopping destinations and hospitals. A report by The Japan News says trial will comprise 10 small EVs called ‘Green Slow Mobility’. Each vehicle will be able to carry up to 10 passengers at a speed of less than 20kph. The Environment Ministry and Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry is hoping the trial will provide an understanding on how to set prices for rides. Munic

A team from the University of Michigan has won the Transportation Technology Tournament for designing a solution to reduce congestion on two interstate highways in the Detroit area. The team presented their solution, Corridor Management in the I-75/I-696 Influence Area, to a panel of judges during a tournament which took place during the Institute of Transportation Engineers annual meeting in Austin, Texas. It focused on mitigating heavy, peak hour traffic volume on I-75 between Detroit and Troy, as

ReachNow has scrapped its car-rental services in Seattle and Portland following a corporate “realignment”, says The Seattle Times. ReachNow offered rentals for BMWs and Mini Coopers and launched a ride-hailing service last year. In May, the company announced to some of its customers that it was shutting down its ride-hailing service, saying that its third-party vendor could no longer support their business. Last November, ReachNow - a BMW subsidiary - integrated car-sharing and ride-hailing int

The government of New Zealand is developing a plan aimed at reducing 750 deaths and 5,600 serious injuries expected on its roads over the next ten years. Anne Genter, associate transport minister, says: “Most roads deaths and serious injuries are preventable and too many New Zealanders have lost their lives or been seriously injured in crashes that could have been prevented by road safety upgrades.” Genter believes the new target can be achieved mainly by increasing investment in road safety infrastr

Siemens Mobility is to install 68 traffic detectors from ADEC Technologies on highway E661 from the municipality of Gradiška to the city of Banja Luka in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Siemens says the TDC3-8 (TLS 8+1) traffic detectors are part of an ITS system which monitors and controls traffic on the highway. The detectors collect statistical traffic data such as the number and classification of vehicles and level of service. Milan Radivojevic, project manager at Siemens Mobility, says the project invo

Lytx, a video telematics provider, is to participate in the Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Programme to help drive fleet safety, tracking and management of smart cities. The programme seeks to connect cities, municipalities, government agencies and enterprises with a range of providers offering Qualcomm Technologies’ solutions for smart city applications. Eliot Feldstein, Lytx senior vice president of corporate and business development, says: “By streamlining access to Lytx’s data and technology

A self-driving bus trial in the Austrian capital Vienna has been halted after a collision between a vehicle and pedestrian, says Bloomberg. Authorities are now investing the cause of the incident which led to minor injuries. According to Bloomberg, state broadcaster ORF says the Navya vehicle was driving at 7.5 miles per hour when it hit the 30-year-old woman in the knee. In a statement given to The Verge, Navya said witnesses had seen the pedestrian wearing headphones and looking at a mobile phon

ADN Mobile Solutions has developed a technology-plus-training tool for bus operators which it says will reduce driver stress, cut emissions and improve the bottom line Public transit is at the heart of future urban mobility. The focus here is, quite rightly, on improving the experience for riders – but there is someone else in the chain who might be overlooked, despite being vital to the success of any operation: the driver. Bus drivers, for example, have a difficult job, combating congestion and the

Lyft has joined forces with Aptiv and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) to bring self-driving technology to its blind and low-vision riders in Las Vegas. The deal extends an agreement last year, in which Aptiv launched 30 autonomous vehicles (AVs) to pick up riders using Lyft’s app. NFB president Mark Riccobono says: “This demonstration will allow future blind drivers to experience and begin providing feedback about this technology, paving the way for the development of a non-visual user in