March News Roundup

Sydney Harbour Bridge shines 90 years on
New South Wales is marks a monumental day in the state’s history, as the Sydney Harbour Bridge celebrates its 90th birthday.

Bikes on Buses trial in Queanbeyan and Yass
Bikes on Buses in the Bush was trialled in Queanbeyan and Yass from 6 December 2021 to 31 March 2022, allowing users to combine a bike ride with a bus trip.

Real-time trip updates and digital timetables for Albury, Greater Nowra and Tamworth
Albury, Greater Nowra and Tamworth bus customers can now plan bus trips and make better-informed travel decisions using digital timetable information and real-time updates.

Limos to fix station car park pain
The PTUA has welcomed a new government plan to provide access to public transport by hiring limousines to collect passengers from home to get them to their local station.

Mobility Service Platform Treepz Completes One Million Bookings Across Africa
Nigerian based Mobility-as-a-Service platform Treepz Inc has announced that it has successfully achieved a milestone of one million bookings completed across the three countries it currently operates in.

Moovit to use TfL open data to display London Tube station congestion levels
MaaS solutions provider, Moovit, has announced a new feature in its urban mobility app for London transport passengers, which will allow them to view reports about how congested London Underground stations are across the city,

Tummoc, the mobility startup, eying to launch in 10 more cities
Tummoc, the multi-modal mobility startup is planning to establish operations in 10 more cities including Delhi and Mumbai by the end of 2022.

Is battery swapping a viable solution for e-mobility?
A new generation of electric car owners may be more receptive to the idea of quickly switching batteries rather than spending time charging. It’s in the area of commercial vehicle fleets, though, that the concept is gaining traction.

Stop calling it Mobility as a Service (MaaS): It actually is an Enhanced Journey Planner (EJP) or an Enhanced Travel Information Service (ETIS)
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) remains a trending term for media platforms and app developers to use. However, David Hensher, Chinh Ho and John Nelson suggest the term should be used more appropriately to describe a fully integrated and sustainable system, rather than just an enhanced travel planning app.

Uber Green expands area of operation to cover all of Greater London
With more electric vehicles on Uber in London than any other city on the app, the company is on track to achieve its target of becoming an all-electric platform in the English capital by 2025.

Kinetic announces launch of Gold Coast autonomous shuttle trial
The Gold Coast Smart Shuttle Trial will see an autonomous shuttle follow a fixed 2.4km route around Main Beach to test how autonomous technology can be safely integrated into busier live traffic environments.

Voi launches Gender Equity Commission to close e-scooter rider equity gap
Voi’s newly founded Gender Equity Commission will be key in bridging the gender equity gap in e-scooter usage, and will offer recommendations related to accessibility, capability and mobility justice.

Can low emissions zones effectively regulate traffic in cities?
Low-emission zones (LEZ) have become a common feature in modern cities. They are an effective technique for managing traffic flow and ensuring that drivers of older, higher polluting vehicles are deterred from driving into city areas by imposing tariffs and fines.

Korean buses roll out ‘tagless’ Bluetooth fare payments
Gyeonggi-do Province Transportation Bureau in South Korea has officially launched a ‘tagless’ fare payment system that uses Bluetooth technology to detect a Bluetooth signal from a passenger’s smartphone when they board and alight from the vehicle and then automatically charges their pre- or post-paid transit card for their fare.

Delhi lets tourists top up metro fare payment cards from official tourism app
Tourists in India can now top up their contactless Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) transit card and receive information about routes and fares from their Apple or Android mobile device via the official Delhi Tourism app.

European cities are using data to make roads safer and smarter
As cities bounce back from COVID-19 and traffic returns, transport leaders are looking to incorporate new tools to improve the safety and efficiency of services.

MIT study suggests cities should coordinate ride-hailing
A study by researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has revealed the extent to which ride-hailing competition clogs city streets.

Upcycling scheme gives e-scooter batteries a second life
Micromobility firm TIER has announced a new partnership that gives ageing electric lithium batteries a second life.

Up in the air – The cable car as a new dimension for urban mobility solutions
Impressive views, no traffic jams and no emissions – a cable car trip is always an experience. Mainly implemented for touristic purposes in Europe, it comes under repeated discussion as a means of local public transport.