Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced the deployment of AI-powered smart traffic management systems in an effort to encourage a greater uptake in greener modes of transport.

An insights and predictive analytics enterprise, Citi Logik, has won Data Pioneer of the Year Award at the 2018 UK Business Technology Awards.

Cubic Transportation Systems’ (CTS) contactless payment system has expanded to Sydney’s train network. Heralded as a “game-changer for transport”, it will give commuters a wider choice to pay for ticketing including credit cards, smart watches, wearables and other electronic devices.

Transport for New South Wales’ plans to roll out the new contactless payment system follows its success on ferries and light rail. In 2017, the Manly Ferry was the first to receive the open payment system in a trial started by the project. As of March this year, more than 235,000 trips have been taken using the contactless payment technology.

“Expanding contactless in Sydney is a game-changer for transport and represents one of the biggest advancements in ticketing technology in years,” said Tom Walker, senior vice president and managing director of CTS, Asia-Pacific.

“We’re very proud that Sydney is helping to lead the way by embracing new technologies to provide the best services possible for passengers.”

The system is based on ticketing technology Cubic pioneered with Transport for London. Following its success in Australia, some of the contactless technology, software and equipment developed for Sydney will also be included in other cities such as New York, Boston and San Francisco in upcoming Cubic projects.

With the aim of improving Dubai and RTA's reliable school transport service, RTA's Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) announced its plan to run a fleet of 368 buses to lift about 8873 students in 17 schools contracted for the new academic year. The number of buses and schools grew from 270 buses serving 14 schools during the academic year 2016-2017.

According to some experts who gathered earlier this week in Texas for the South by Southwest Festival, flying taxis may indeed become a reality soon and they are expected to be available by 2025.

The city of Dubai has signed an agreement which would map out sky lanes for drones and flying taxis.

A regional transport authority in Germany, Landesanstalt Schienenfahrzeuge Baden-Württemberg (SFBW), has coordinated with Siemens Mobility and purchased 20 battery-powered trains to deploy in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.

Volkswagen is to test a series of mobile charging stations throughout the German city of Wolfsburg, which will charge electric cars and e-bikes in around 17 minutes.

A highway in Germany installed overhead cables to power hybrid cars, in an effort to electrify truck transportation and cut emissions.

Many cities, all over the world, are working towards becoming ‘smart’. The use of data, AI-powered cameras, IoT-powered technologies, smart management systems, connected devices and even smart street infrastructure are all being developed and deployed to improve services and the quality of life for residents through automation and data analytics.

Chinese telecommunications vendor and technology leader Huawei has partnered with Kenya Electricity Transmission Co. Ltd. in an effort to provide a comprehensive analysis of the key factors of power communications network construction.

Huawei recently held an online launch summit of the Intelligent Traffic Management Solution with the theme of "Transform the Way We Move" where they officially launched Intelligent Traffic Management Solution for overseas markets.

The Japanese city of Fukuoka is set to deploy autonomous pods that will transport its passengers across the Hakozaki area, for free, towards the end of next year.

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has announced a contract agreement with Virgin Hyperloop One (VHO), the world’s leading Hyperloop company.

Commuters in LA will now have increased flexibility in how they choose to pay for travel, thanks to the new TAPforce smart card system.

Millbrook Proving Ground has started working on deploying advanced 5G network as part of the AutoAir project which groups 5G testbed partners led by Airspan Networks. As reported by Millbrook, this is the "UK's first transport 5G network" and it will help building the future of testing and validation of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies.

Moovit, the mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) solutions firm, has launched Way Finder which features the use of augmented reality (AR) to help users better locate stations and stops. 

PwC and London Transport Museum collaborated with the international law firm Gowling WLG and Thales, the global transport and security company and produced a report titled ‘Rethinking Smart Futures’.

Paris has initiated its first steps towards what it describes as a 'revolution' for the city as it embraces the dawn of autonomous vehicles. The French capital is one of the most famous cities in the entire world - and city officials have this week began experimenting with driverless buses.

Global ride-hailing behemoth Uber has launched a new unique feature described as a global first in an effort to empower women in Saudi Arabia.