£350m for first mainline digital railway
Scheme will see conventional line-side signals replaced The East Coast Main Line is set to become Britain’s first mainline digital rail link with £350m of new investment to install state-of-the art electronic signalling. The upgrade, between London King’s Cross and Stoke Tunnel in Lincolnshire, will see ETCS Level 2 in-cab signalling installed that...
Zenobe secures £20m for electric bus rollout
Funding will assist with electric bus expansion Zenobe Energy, one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of battery storage, has secured up to £20m of contracted receivables funding from NatWest Specialist Structured Finance, to support the continued growth of the company. The funding is the first financing arrangement to support electric...
Cityswift secures €2m funding for growth
Additional funding to accelerate growth in UK & European markets with creation of 25 jobs Go-Ahead has rolled out Cityswift’s AI-based bus capacity checker technology across its bus operations in the UK Transport data and tech firm Cityswift has closed a funding round that has raised €2m for the Galway-based firm. It brings...
Advancing mobility with geospatial technologies
Martí Jofre of Pildo Labs explains how the GALILEO 4 Mobility and ARIADNA projects have sought to demonstrate how GALILEO satellite technology can be used for MaaS schemes With innovations such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and shared mobility like bike- sharing and e-scooters, the urban mobility landscape is evolving faster than...
Arrival reveals plans for electric bus
Electric vehicle startup reveals plans for electric bus London-based tech firm and electric commercial vehicle manufacturer Arrival has revealed it is working on an electric bus. It claims the zero-emission vehicle will “transform the public transport industry at a time when it is facing its biggest challenges”. In footage released by the company,...
Stagecoach launches ‘busy bus’ tracker
App will use artificial intelligence to help customers socially distance Stagecoach is launching a new smartphone “busy bus” indicator to help passengers plan their journeys as services increase across the country. The new feature on the group’s bus app will use extensive data and artificial intelligence to provide a traffic light indicator to...
Go-Ahead Group rolls out ‘When to Travel’ tool
New unique AI based technology will help bus customers plan their travel The Go-Ahead Group is rolling out its innovative ‘When to Travel’ tool for customers nationwide. Along with social distancing, wearing face coverings, enhanced cleaning and hygiene, it aims to give confidence to use buses as customers return to work and school....
First Aberdeen launches Apply Pay Express Mode
Pilot scheme has been accelerated to make bus travel easier than ever for essential journeys around the city First Aberdeen has become the first bus operator outside London to offer Express Mode for Apple Pay as a payment method for customers. The plan is to extend this function across all First Bus networks...
Omnibus helps operators react to COVID crisis
New features enable operators to react to coronavirus Plymouth Citybus has used new features from tech specialist Software solutions specialist Omnibus has worked with a number of bus operators throughout the coronavirus lockdown to help them react to a rapidly changing situation. It has seen a number of new features rolled out that...
CitySwift data platform informs NXWM
Tech will assist the bus operator in planning for and reacting to ‘new normal’ Andy Foster, NXWM’s deputy commercial director has been working from home during lockdown National Express West Midlands has announced the successful deployment of CitySwift’s SwiftMetrics bus network analysis platform across its entire network. The move aims to help the...
Stagecoach supports new DRT service for NHS
New app-based bus service, Stagecoach Connect, to be launched for Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust this month as part of a trial of Demand Responsive Transport in Mansfield and Sutton Users of the new service will select a desired pick-up and drop-off location, and will be matched with a seat in a high-capacity bus...
Coach providers offer help with contact tracing
Coach providers Zeelo and Snap have developed technology to enable people to use their services and maintain social distance and can also help contact trace if passengers were to develop symptoms later Zeelo has already launched a critical-worker service to help NHS staff and key workers during the Coronavirus pandemic Technology is helping...
