publictransport
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Addison Lee is looking into self-driving taxis too
Driverless car trials are happening all around the UK, but the epicentre is arguably Greenwich, in London. We've seen driverless pods ferry passengers around the O2 and autonomous delivery vans drop off Ocado hampers near Woolwich. That's because a chunk of the borough has been ring-fenced as a "Smart Mobility Living Lab" for autonomous projects and research. The latest initiative to fall under that banner is "Merge," which will look at how a driverless ride-sharing service could work in the city. The work will be led by Addison Lee, alongside a consortium that includes Ford, the Transport Research Laboratory and Transport Systems Catapult.
Citymapper to launch a weekend night bus service in London
Citymapper's brief bus experiment in London was more than a one-off. The company, which runs an independent transport and navigation app, is now planning a permanent bus route in the middle of East London. Like its two-day trial in May, the new service will utilise bright green buses equipped with USB ports for charging (a godsend when you're traveling home at the end of a long day) and a big screen upfront with regularly updated route information. Unlike before, however, this service won't be free; you'll have to pay a small fee with a contactless card, Apple Pay or Android Pay.
Singapore will trial a full-size autonomous bus
Singapore will trial a pair of driverless buses. No, not micro buses, nor "Ollis" -- full-sized buses, measuring 12 meters (40 feet) long. The vehicles will operate in the Jurong West region of Singapore, where the island's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is situated. The buses will ferry up to 80 people between NTU and the neighboring "eco-business" hub CleanTech Park -- around a one-mile journey. The team behind the trial is also considering servicing a nearby train station, which would extend the route to around a 5-mile round trip. The vehicles will charge at depots and at bus stops via charging masts.
Google adds nearly all UK public transport routes to Maps for easier journey planning
Planning a journey across London using public transport has been possible in Google Maps from mid-2011. Since then, though, the search specialist has made only slight improvements to this feature, as well as extending its scope to cover other parts of south-east England. Google's finally making an effort to incorporate public transport info from further afield into Maps, announcing it's now got practically every route across Great Britain covered (Northern Ireland is still "in the works"). From today, Maps will look at train, bus, tram, ferry, underground and even airborne routes to help you get from one side of the country to the other, whether you be planning a trip from your computer, or within the iOS or Android apps. Support for a wider array of services and regions has been a long time coming, but at least you can now visualise where you want to go and how to get there, all without switching tabs.
Nokia Transport goes official: public transport departure times for over 100 cities (video)
Nokia's public transport update has now passed through beta testing and is available to download on your favorite Lumia handset now. The app refresh adds transit route options and departure times for over 100 cities and urban areas and estimated routes for another 450 places. The UI is the same classy blend of Nokia's mapping lineage and Windows Phone Metro tang. Nokia Conversation warns that there could be a publishing delay depending on your region, but you'll need to be looking out for version 2.1. There's a quick tour of the new functions after the break.
Virgin Media WiFi in London goes deeper underground, 41 stations now hooked up
While it's been in the pipes for a while, and some lucky stations got an early arrival, Virgin Media has confirmed that 41 stations in total are now lapping from the bowl of sweet, sweet free WiFi. Considering that a million tweets, Facebook updates, and emails were delivered in the first week, and over 100,000 commuters have logged on in the last four, appetite for the service is high. While use is free at the moment, and TFL travel info will remain without charge, non Virgin Media customers will have to start paying up, once the Olympic Games are over. By then the full expected 120 stations should be plugged-in and switched on. For the current list of connected stations, head past the break.
Nokia unveils Lumia 610, arriving Q2
Another addition to la familia Nokia has been revealed. The Lumia 610 looks to be its entry level Windows Phone, going by the company's current naming convention, packing 256MB of RAM alongside an auto-focus camera. You'll be staring into a 3.7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) capacitive touchscreen display and it'll have 8GB of storage with no option to expand beyond using Skydrive. The 1,300mAh battery promises 6.5 hours of talk-time and 530 hours of standby, while connection options include HSPA, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth. Nokia also used its latest Windows Phone to demonstrate Nokia Transport; a new app that will draw on tram, train and bus directions for around 500 cities and 46 countries. Color fans will be able to get the entry-level device in white, cyan, magenta and black, all of which look set to arrive in Q2 priced at around 189 euros.Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Nokia Public Transport for Symbian shows you the way, can't guarantee a seat
Nokia's free turn-by turn navigation is great when you're lost, but what if you need to negotiate an unfamiliar train or bus system? Perhaps Espoo's new Public Transport app with its journey planning information for nearly 80 cities and urban areas (including London, Helsinki, Austin and Toronto) will see you right. What's more, you can even save your favorite destinations to the app's home screen to save a bit more tapping and typing. The app's only available for those freshly updated Symbian Belle phones right now, but it's free, and there's a Lumia-friendly version in the works. Sound like this might take the headache out of your daily commute? Then tap the source link below for more info.
Live transit updates in Google Maps help you plan your romantic bus-catching sprint
Brooklynites on their way to the latest Reggie Watts show have long had real-time bus-tracking information, but public-transit aficionados in six other cities now have one less reason for BK envy. With the latest version of Google Maps, even the least cool citizens of Boston, Portland, Ore., San Diego, San Francisco, Madrid and Turin can see not just when their bus or train is scheduled to arrive, but when it actually will. Selecting a stop on the map displays "live departure times" and service alerts, thanks to Google's data-sharing partnerships with city transit operators. That won't always guarantee fewer delays or less waiting, but will help riders budget their time, and maybe find those precious seconds necessary to post more Tumblr pictures of "ironic" Hitler-kittens.
Vodafone lets Londoners pay for taxis via text message, charge their phones in transit
Mobile payment systems may be gaining only gradual steam in the US, but over on the other side of the pond, Vodafone UK has launched a broad new campaign to integrate smartphone technology where Londoners may need it most -- in the back of taxis. As of today, many cab passengers will be able to charge their smartphones in transit, thanks to a wide range of chargers that the mobile carrier has installed in more than 500 of London's iconic black vehicles. Vodafone is also rolling out a new payment scheme today, whereby cash-strapped travelers can text their cab's license number to a specific code, allowing any owed fares to be charged directly to their phone bills. The system certainly doesn't sound as elegant as some of the NFC-based operations we've heard about, but it still beats having to navigate your cab driver to the nearest ATM, with the meter tick-tocking away.
Brooklyn bus riders get real-time bus tracking via cellphone
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority launched a pilot program a few months back that offered bus riders some real-time tracking information, but it's now expanded things with a whole new program on the B63 route in Brooklyn. That service is currently accessible via a mobile-friendly website or text message, and smartphone users can also scan simply snap a picture of a barcode (presumably a QR code) at a bus stop to immediately check in on the location of the next five buses that will arrive at the stop. What's more, unlike the previous program, this new system is based on an open source platform developed with the help of OpenPlans, and the MTA is actually encouraging developers to dig into the API and develop their own solutions -- which could certainly get interesting as the program is expanded across the city (the Staten Island bus line is next up). Head on past the break for the MTA's press release, and hit up the link below to try out the service right in your browser.
FTA awards $16.6 million in grants for fuel cell bus research
While we were jealously hung up on South Korea's working electric bus system, Christmas apparently came early for a couple of lucky US fuel cell bus research projects -- in the form of $16.6 million in Federal Transit Administration grants. Pasadena based Calstart snagged almost $10.2 million and will funnel 70 percent of the funds to developing the first phase of a low-cost, longer lasting fuel cell power system. Calstart will then spend its remaining $2.9 million in partnership with the Chicago Regional Transit Authority to develop and test the viability of fuel cell bus fleets in cold climates. The Center for Transportation and the Environment in Atlanta was the other project to hit the federal money gravy train. It received a hefty $6.4 million to spread across six different projects that dabble in everything from developing fast-charging 35-foot fuel cell buses, to similar lithium ion versions, to improving existing hybrid bus platforms. Federal pork for fuel cell DSLR development regrettably missed the cut. For the full scoop hit up the press release after the break.
China to build ginormous buses that cars can drive under (video)
Seriously, this is the future that China's envisioning: huge friggin' buses engulfing smaller cars on the road. Despite the silly picture and the eccentric "3D Express Coach" branding, this cunning project by Shenzhen Huashi Future Car-Parking Equipment actually makes sense. The idea is to make use of the space between regular-size cars and bridges, thus saving construction costs as well as minimizing congestion impact by allowing cars to drive underneath these jumbo buses. Fancy hitching a ride? You better start planning your move to Beijing's Mentougou district, which is where Huashi will commence building its first 186km of track at year's end. For now, enjoy the Chinese demo video after the break (translation text at source link).
Korea starts testing 'recharging road,' might make it part of its public transport system
Time to set aside the chains of worry that have prevented us from jumping on the electric bandwagon -- Korean researchers have figured out a way to make us forget all about charging stations and cruising ranges with their magnetically recharging road. The Online Electric Vehicle (OLEV) you see here went into service yesterday and can now be found towing three bus-loads of tourists around a Seoul amusement park. It operates on a battery five times smaller than conventional EV juice packs and can collect its power through non-contact magnetic transmission from the recharging strips in the ground. We're also told running costs for this system are a third of what a typical EV would require, and should it prove successful and find itself expanded to the public transport system, only about 20 percent of bus routes would need to be electrified -- at bus stops, crossroads and the like -- with the rest being covered by the power stored inside the OLEV. Here's to hoping it all works out.
