EU provides €200 million for sustainable and efficient transport and simplifies access to financing for transport projects

The European Commission (EC) together with the European Investment Bank (EIB) launched the new CEF Transport Blending Facility, an innovative financial instrument to support projects contributing to the environmental sustainability and efficiency of the transport sector in Europe.

Agreement on the first 'Europe on the Move' proposal: Modernising the European Electronic Toll Service

The European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional political agreement during their third trilogue on the 'European Electronic toll service' (EETS) to enhance cross-border interoperability of electronic tolls, contribute to administrative simplification and reduce fraud.

GDPR: how will the new data protection law affect the transport sector?

As Europe’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) comes into force, organisations across all industries have questions about what exactly it means for them. Transport is only getting smarter and that is dependent on making the most of personal data. And, it works both ways. While transport companies can use personal data to monitor and tailor what they offer to each individual, customers can also personalise their own travel options – through online booking, downloading apps and ‘favouriting’ destinations or journeys.

Transport operators prepare for further digitalisation before end of 2018

New research from IRU has revealed the challenges European transport operators face, and highlights the potential for digital solutions and services to unlock industry opportunities.

While IRU’s findings are overall positive, 35 per cent of respondents say they have no plans to invest in digital solutions in the next six months. This suggests that there are pockets of the industry yet to embrace new technologies, who risk being left behind.

Umberto de Pretto, Secretary General at IRU, commented: “Our role to support road transport in becoming more sustainable has never been more important. This event brings together some of the leading innovators in road transport, including Daimler, DKV Euro Service, TomTom and Wtransnet, to share insights and experiences with the businesses running road transport services on the ground.”

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Road Transport: Commission adopts common rules to facilitate enforcement and enhance road safety

The European Commission has adopted a series of rules applicable to road hauliers and road passenger transport operators. A common classification of serious road safety infringements under transport legislation is included, as well as new specifications for smart tachographs (the device that records driving times of lorry, bus and coach drivers) making the best use of new digital technologies. The objective is to enhance road safety, contribute to a fairer competition between road transport operators and to facilitate a consistent enforcement of EU rules across borders.

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Electronic vignettes come into force in Lithuania

In order to create more favourable conditions for carriers, electronic vignettes have been legalised in Lithuania at the order of the Minister of Transport and Communications. From now on both paper and electronic vignettes can be used.

New transport projects launched in Tallinn

European Commissioner for Transport and Mobility Violeta Bulc launched 15 projects co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility programme (CEF) at the Digital Transport Days in Tallinn last week. The projects are expected to develop digital solutions and upgrade the European rail, road, maritime and air transport network. These projects were selected for funding via a competitive call for proposals that will in total invest €2.7 billion in 152 key transport projects across the EU.

Digitilisation is changing public transport

Digital technologies have the potential to deliver a revolutionary impact on the public transport sector. UITP’s (International Association of Public Transport) new report Digitalisation in public transport explores the impact of this trend in public transport, outlining the opportunities it brings as well as the challenges faced.

Digitalisation brings a host of opportunities for the public transport sector, including opportunities to increase efficiency and improve quality, lower costs, open up new revenue streams, improve the customer experience and loyalty, and explore new services, with new concepts like ‘mobility as a service’ (MaaS) and new emerging technologies like driverless cars. However, digitilisation also brings a number of significant challenges which must be faced. As digitalisation creeps into every aspect of the public transport business, clarifying where and how digitalisation is affecting the sector is a complex exercise. UITP has identified some key issues: