A new UI for Avego's iPhone app

For drivers, there are many changes that make it easier than ever to offer unused seats to other people in real time, including:

• Improved design for day and nighttime driving
• Improved information about routes and stops, including the time and distance to the ultimate destination
• Driving without having to pre-record the route
• Auto-acceptance of ride requests
• Simpler creation of routes between favorite places
• Auto-display of map view on approach to pick-up
• Reminders of scheduled departure times
• More sophisticated ride matching
• More than 20,000 new Avego stops added to the network

For riders, there is a new web-based user interface that is optimized for use with any mobile phone (not just iPhones). The Shared Transport web application includes a simpler process for booking rides and more detailed statements of a person’s journey history.

In addition to these great new features, the update also realizes improved reliability and performance, as well as compatibility with the iPhone’s new iOS4 operating system.

• Download Avego’s free iPhone app here »
• Learn more about Shared Transport »
• Follow Avego on Twitter »

Avego's iPhone app

Taking place at the Canadian Embassy, Disruptathon features 6-8 companies talking about their disruptive innovations for an audience of 75-100 people. It will be a mix of techies, policy experts, government, and wireless carriers.

Avego’s presentation will include a video demonstration of Avego’s award-winning Shared Transport technology, which uses iPhone and web technology to essentially enable drivers to turn their car into a bus.

Drivers are matched with riders along their way in real time and Avego automatically manages an electronic micropayment transaction at the end of the journey.The system also enables real-time passenger information and includes a comprehensive range of safety features.

If you are interested in attending the event to get a first-hand look at how leading innovations from the U.S. and Canada are helping society reduce energy consumption while building sustainable new businesses, you can get tickets here.

Avego has been chosen by the Irish government to provide hardware for more than 20 private bus operators who wish to participate in the country’s first integrated ticketing system. When complete, the system will enable commuters to avail of pay-as-you-go charging with re-usable smart cards on public buses, trains, light rail and now private bus and coach services.

From the left: Jerry Mullins, Chief Executive, CTTC Ireland (representative body for the Commercial Bus Operators); Nicholas Leone, Integrated Ticketing System Project Manager, CBO Project; Richard Bryce, Executive Vice President, Avego; Frank Allen, Chief Executive, RPA

“We are delighted that Avego’s technology will be used to extend the convenience and efficiency of integrated ticketing to private bus and coach operators,” said Tim Gaston, ITS Project Director with the RPA. ”Avego’s advanced ticketing and reporting capabilities will enable these operators to enhance their operational performance and offer simplified fare payment options to their customers.”

Not only does Avego’s technology make it easier for passengers to pay for their journeys and transfer to other services, but it also helps operators to improve on-schedule performance, increase patronage and riderships numbers, reduce boarding times and eliminate fraud.

“As a hosted solution, Futurefleet uniquely provides the flexibility, scalability and convenience required to meet the diverse technical and commercial needs of private bus and coach operators,” said Avego’s Managing Director, Sean O’Sullivan. “The award of this significant contract demonstrates again the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of Avego’s systems.”

Avego’s range of ticketing hardware will enable a secure integrated ticketing solution that is fully interoperable with public transport services. The on-board hardware includes a new Avego Ticketing Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), with integrated printer and barcode reader, as well as several mobile ticketing and smart card units.

To learn more Futurefleet’s comprehensive in-vehicle services capabilities, please contact us today!

• Learn more about Futurefleet’s in-vehicle services, operations services and passenger services capabilities »
• Sign up for a free Avego account here »
• Follow Avego on Twitter »

As the leading voice for the use of smart technology to address America’s transportation challenges, the ITS America Smart Solution Spotlight award highlights the best and most innovative use of intelligent transportation systems to address national and regional transportation challenges.

“This concept of providing real-time on-demand commuting services could play a major role in increasing interest and participation in carpooling,” said Scott Belcher, President and CEO of ITS America. “The use of intelligent transportation technology will help create a new, on demand transportation system using wasted seat capacity in cars that are already on the road. If successful, this could result in significant improvements in traffic efficiency and the environment.”

ITS America

While most people understand the benefits and efficiency of carpooling, it is typically not flexible or convenient enough to meet the demands and busy lives of today’s commuters. Avego Shared Transport uses ITS technology to make carpooling more flexible, reliable and convenient by providing a marketplace for drivers to offer their empty seats to other people in real time.

This on-demand, real-time ridesharing system, which is now available as a free iPhone application, essentially incentivizes drivers to run their car as a bus, saving money by accepting ride requests from riders along their route.

A major upgrade of the iPhone application will soon be released.

You can read the official press release here.

Avego is pleased to introduce the new Avego mini Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), which provides transport operators with powerful GPS-enabled real-time capabilities in a sleek and compact design.

The Avego mini MDT

Combining modern user-centered design with an internal GPS antenna and comprehensive complement of connectivity options, the mini MDT is an ideal solution for driving Avego’s advanced real-time passenger information, AVL and reporting capabilities.

The mini MDT’s 5” TFT LCD screen enables a razor-sharp color display, with durable touchscreen technology for providing drivers with a simple, reliable and user-friendly interface.

A range of convenient mounting options are available, so that the stylish and compact mini MDT can be easily, securely and rapidly installed in a wide range of transport vehicles.

Learn more about how the mini MDT can improve the efficiency of your operations by contacting the Avego sales team today.

• Learn more about Avego at www.avego.com »
• Become a fan of Avego on Facebook »
• Follow our tweets on Twitter »

Dualway

Dualway, based in Dublin, Ireland, is Avego’s latest customer, having selected Futurefleet^TM as the on-board ticket sales and fleet management solution for its award-winning transport and tourism services.

With 25 GPS-enabled Futurefleet Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) installed on their sightseeing, day tour and local scheduled services, Dualway can now easily manage ticket pricing and access real-time reports online for any of their vehicles. Drivers are also provided with advanced ticket sales management capabilities, as well as real-time schedule adherence notifications for ensuring on-time performance.

“Having been in operation since 1979, we know that we must constantly strive to improve the efficiency of the services we provide,” said Linda McConn, Marketing Director at Dualway. “Avego’s Futurefleet has rapidly become a very effective tool for us to streamline our ticket sales and reporting, and to easily provide more flexible ticket pricing for our customers.”

The rapid in-vehicle MDT ticketing system enables drivers to improve customer satisfaction with faster loading times. And using Futurefleet’s intuitive web interface, operators can quickly and easily add or modify routes, schedules and ticket pricing from anywhere with an Internet connection and have those updates immediately reflected on the Futurefleet MDT. Operators can also track vehicles in real time and access comprehensive reporting on tickets sold and on-schedule performance.

“The lifeblood of any transport operator is their daily passenger throughput,” said Sean O’Sullivan, Avego’s Managing Director. “Avego’s analytics allow transport operators to see where and when the thousands of people who are using their buses daily purchase their tickets, and the flow of their transport services throughout a city or country, in real time. Legacy ticketing systems and standalone AVL systems cannot provide the intelligence or convenience of the end-to-end Futurefleet system. We are delighted to have Dualway upgrade their systems to Futurefleet.”

• Learn more about Futurefleet’s in-vehicle services, operations services and passenger services capabilities »
• Follow Avego on Twitter »

A new study by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) has concluded that motor vehicles are the greatest net contributor to global warming.

Car emissions are driving climate change

Rather than analyzing impacts by chemical species, the study based its findings on a climate model, which was used to estimate the impact of 13 sectors of the economy. The unique portfolio of pollutants, greenhouse gases and aerosols released by cars, buses and trucks was found to contribute the most to climate change.

This new analysis provides urban planners with a greater understanding of how to more effectively target emissions reductions. While emissions from the power, biomass burning and industrial sectors of the economy promote aerosol-cloud interactions that exert a powerful cooling effect, on-road transportation and household biofuels exacerbate cloud-related warming.

“Targeting on-road transportation is a win-win-win,” said Nadine Unger, who led the study. “It’s good for the climate in the short term and long term, and it’s good for our health.”

With so few commuters (less than 5% in the US, less than 20% in Europe) using public transit and the vast majority of all transport journeys occurring in cars (82.1% in the EU, 85% in the US), there is a clear need to improve the efficiency of passenger transportation by making it easier to fill up the vast amounts of empty seats that travel our roads every day.

• Download Avego’s iPhone application here to experience the future of sharing transportation.
• Learn how Avego^TM makes it easier to fill up empty seats in cars, buses and vanpools.

Robyn Sheehan joined Avego last summer, having graduated with an Honors Degree in Business Information Systems from UCC. Now based at Avego’s global Network Operations Center in Kinsale, Ireland, Robyn has previously worked with a major retail outlet in Cork and Barclays Bank in London.

Robyn Sheehan

Since joining Avego, Robyn has been busy implementing a new internal knowledge sharing tool for Avego’s staff, providing support to transport operators and individual consumers worldwide, and ensuring that operators automatically receive detailed nightly reports indicating the thousands of tickets they’ve sold each day using Futurefleet’s in-vehicle and online ticket sales capabilities. Robyn explains what she likes most about her role:

“I really enjoy improving the way that information is shared, whether that’s internally amongst staff or providing new reports to customers. I think that’s an important way of strengthening relationships – but it’s also important to keep a smile on your face, even when you’re on the phone!”

Not only does she excel at work, but Robyn is also a champion Irish dancer, achieving 9th in the world championships and 2nd in Ireland.

“I started dancing when I was four and it’s allowed me to travel the world, including Seattle where I performed as part of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations six years running. When I stopped competing, I began to teach children, which I really enjoy.” Robyn also loves to read and is currently obsessed with the Twilight series!

Avego is recruiting. If you are interested in joining Avego, check our our careers page.

This post is extracted from the Avego monthly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.

As a leading developer of location-based transportation applications, Avego is very involved in the development of several cutting-edge GNSS (global navigation satellite systems) technology applications for the European Union. Some of these projects will be showcased at the Galileo Application Days event in Brussels next week.

The Galileo Speed Warning Project

For example, attendees can view a demo of the Galileo Speed Warning (GSW) CARAT Counter system, which uses location-based technology to incentivize safer driving behaviour. The end-product is an in-vehicle device that displays a counter of CARAT points which increments as long as a driver drives within the speed limit, and can later be traded for rewards, such as lower car insurance.

Attendees can also visit the OPTI-TRANS stand to learn more about an innovative location-based mobile traveler information and guiding system that Avego is helping to develop for the city of Madrid. The system will serve as a personal transportation navigation tool, presenting optimal routing to Madrid’s commuters, based on their current location and the real-time availability of empty seats on public transportation and in private cars (“shared transport”).

Hosted by the European Commission, Galileo Application Days will be held at the Charlemagne Conference Centre in Brussels from March 3rd to March 5th. In addition to Avego taking part in the “Applications Village”, Avego’s Eurasian Sales Director, Jonathan Guard, will also be giving a presentation on the GSW project at 11:40 on March 5th.

This post is extracted from the Avego monthly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.

Avego’s China office, which was officially opened last October, has just launched 2 new projects that are designed to improve transportation efficiency at the Ascendas IT park in Dalian, where Avego China is based.

Employees at Ascendas IT Park in Dalian

A new Shared Taxi system will save costs for local employers and employees who pay to take a taxi home in the evenings when the public transportation services have ended. The system matches together people traveling to the same areas. Users interact with the system via a touchscreen interface in the lobby of the office building.

On average, 300 of the 3500 people working in the office building take a taxi home in the evening, which amounts to taxi charges of millions of Chinese RMB per year. Avego’s new system will reduce these costs by 40%.

An LED sign displaying real-time passenger information

Avego has also setup its Futurefleet system, with LED signs displaying real-time passenger information for a shuttle bus service between Avego’s office building and the entrance of Ascendas park. Employees can now make better decisions about whether or not to make the long walk to the entrance of the park, or wait for the next shuttle bus.

Anyone interested in learning more about Futurefleet or Avego’s Shared Taxi system should contact the Avego sales team today.

This post is extracted from the Avego monthly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.