The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (DC) is moving toward an open fare payment system, enabling customers to pay fares with their cell phones, credit cards, and even federal IDs. The Washington Examiner reports that an open system would cost $60 million to implement but save the agency $33.8 million a year after 10 years.Read… Read more »
What happens if the proposed high-speed rail project between Las Vegas (NV) and Victorville (CA) falls through? Plan B, say some, is to revive the magnetic levitation option originally proposed for the Nevada – Southern California market and still supported by selected agencies in both states. “We’re still pursuing all possibilities to make this happen,”Read… Read more »
How would you use information technology to improve government? Your idea could be worth $50,000. The Merit Awards is looking for suggestions in eight categories: back office operations, citizen engagement, defense, emergency response, entitlement reform, results achievement, waste, and workforce management and motivation. “Someone needs to be discontented with the status quo in order forRead… Read more »
As Melbourne’s Metlink (VIC) transitions from the Metcard to the myki card, The Sydney Morning Herald says that some commuters are objecting to the change. “If you are doing a rollout you have to, at some point, push people across, but the big problem is no one really knows whether Metcard is going to continueRead… Read more »
Washington Metro passengers are warned to hang on to their iPhones. So-called “smash-and-grab” robberies are on the rise. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (DC) reported 508 incidents in 2010 — including stolen smart phones, other mobile devices, and purses — compared to 425 in 2009. “We’ve had a great increase in the snatching ofRead… Read more »
Developers participating in London’s national Hack Day competition will have access to live departure data from National Rail Enquiries (UK). “Since we began licensing apps a few years ago, we’ve dealt with numerous individual developers who have gone on to produce highly successful programs that are used more than a hundred thousand times a day,”Read… Read more »
Denver’s Regional Transportation District (CO) has given its police force new tools to catch fare cheats. With electronic ID-inspection devices and wireless printers, transit police can scan a driver’s license to check the passenger’s fare-compliance record. ”Until May, all officers had to use the radio to call in a name check,” said transit police chiefRead… Read more »
Solar panels covering a 2.2-mile Belgian tunnel will generate enough electricity to power 4,000 high-speed trains traveling between Paris and Amsterdam each year. The tunnel was built to protect trains from falling trees in a forest near Antwerp. “For train operators, it is the perfect way to cut their carbon footprints because you can useRead… Read more »
As announced yesterday, Google Maps has added real-time transit updates for six systems. Here’s a round-up of local stories: The Boston Globe on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority “The announcement is a clear sign of the T’s dramatic shift in its approach to the tech community since 2008, when the MBTA guarded data so carefullyRead… Read more »
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (CA) invites developers to create a mobile application that enhances the VTA travel experience. “Whether they help you find the best donut shop in town or get you to the latest flash mob on time, these mobile apps are sure to be a big hit with our riders,” saidRead… Read more »