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.

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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.

In the last year, Twitter has grown in popularity amongst transit agencies in the US as a tool for communicating with their customers about service changes and general news. While the number of agencies using Twitter is still small, agencies are increasingly trying to figure out how it can be of real strategic value.

Some great articles have been written about the business benefits of “tweeting” (such as here, here and here), but the specific role that Twitter can play in your transit agency requires some internal analysis. A general rule of thumb is to start by considering Twitter in terms of “how we communicate with our customers”, including potential customers.

Twitter provides some specific benefits to transit agencies, such as the ability to provide real-time service updates to customers, but it also offers more traditional marketing benefits, such as generating leads and web traffic. Once a decision has been made about how Twitter will be used to communicate to the world, then it can be assigned to a particular group with specific objectives.

When deciding how to use Twitter in your agency, look towards other related organizations that are already using Twitter, by searching for “#transit” on Twitter.

Avego uses Twitter to communicate the latest in transit related news and technology. You can find us at www.twitter.com/AvegoUSA

Held at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, the Software Industry Awards recognizes world-class contributions by indigenous software firms to Ireland’s smart economy.

Avego at the Software Industry Awards

Avego was also selected as a finalist in the “Technical Innovation” and “Sales Achievement” categories, and was the only company to be a finalist in three categories.

Speaking at the awards, ISA Chairman Paul Sweetman said: “The companies and individuals that we have recognised tonight have generated fantastic value for customers and investors this year. These talented individuals will drive Ireland’s future economic growth.”

This award is the second award that Avego has received recently, having already won the “High Potential Start-up” award at the IT@Cork awards in October, and demonstrates Avego’s excellence in providing software for improving the efficiency of passenger transport.

2009 Software Industry Awards Winners:

Company of the Year 2009: Openet
Emerging Software Business Award: Avego
Sales Achievement Award: Percana
The Technical Innovation Award: iTab
Corporate Social Responsibility Award: Norkom Technologies
Collaboration of the Year Award: Local Social
Software Person of the Year: Paul Kerley, CEO of Norkom,
Student Medal: Yuandong Zhu of UCD

More information about these awards is available here.

The conference, which was attended by 4,000 transport professionals, provided a perfect venue for Avego to present our products to key influencers of transport policy from all over the world.

Avego would like to thank everybody who visited Avego’s stand at the exhibition and we look forward to following up with the many new contacts and friends we made at the conference.

Employing 15 engineers and support staff, the China office will provide Avego’s Shared Transport and Futurefleet solutions for the Chinese, Japanese and Korean markets, as well as export China-manufactured Avego hardware solutions to the worldwide market.

The official opening of Avego's new office in Dalian, China

Avego’s focus on improved efficiency of passenger transportation networks has enabled it to double its staff in Ireland over the past 12 months, even during the difficult challenges of the current financial crisis, as it continues to expand its international presence.

The official opening was attended by Minister Kelleher; Chairman of Enterprise Ireland, Hugh Cooney; and Ireland’s Ambassador to China, Declan Kelleher.  Present from the city of Dalian were the Chinese Government’s Dalian High Technology Zone’s Vice Deputy Li Wei Ming, Bureau Director David Mao, Dalian Software Association Director Shun Pen, and Jeffrey Tan, General Manager of the Ascendas IT Park.

Speaking at the opening, Minister Kelleher said:

“Avego is a leading Irish exporting software company and one of the most prominent software companies in their field.  This announcement marks a significant step in their successful exporting strategy.  The establishment of this office in China will enable Avego to better access the potential in the Chinese market.  The company’s success in this market will help the further growth and development of their Irish base in Cork.”

Minister Billy Kelleher

The office, which includes a China Network Operations Center, is located in the Dalian High-Tech Zone.  Dalian, a city of 6.2 million people, is one of the most highly regarded places in China for the development of software, and also one of the fastest growing cities in China.  Avego is thought to be the first Irish technology company to establish in the city of Dalian, as well as the province of Liaoning, a region to the Northeast of Beijing with a population of 42 million people.

“We are thankful for the tremendous reception and co-operation we’ve received from the Chinese government in the establishment of our Asia-Pacific headquarters,” said Sean O’Sullivan, Managing Director of Avego Ltd.  “We look forward to working with transportation operators to face the unique challenges present in the massive and rapidly modernizing China.  Our staff in Ireland, China and the United States are combining efforts to produce products that will improve transportation networks worldwide.”

Sean O'Sullivan, Avego's Managing Director

Making its American introduction one year ago in California, Avego has been providing its software and hardware solutions to transport operators in North America, Europe and Asia.  Avego’s iPhone application has been used in over 60 countries worldwide, and sparked a global media buzz on its release, with Avego being feature prominently by The New York Times, CNN, Fortune, and named by Silicon Valley’s San Jose Mercury News, as one of the most innovative technology companies at that time.

The article considers the most promising iPhone apps for drivers, bikers and commuters and prominently features Avego’s iPhone app as one of the apps that can most improve the daily user experience of transportation.

Slate.com

“The most promising app I saw is the carpooling app Avego (currently in a “launch & learn state”), which is described as a “cross between carpooling, public transit, and eBay,” with a user reputation/feedback mechanism included; it also would include a payment function—i.e., a way to help out with gas money—which, as one rideshare expert put it to me, “is always awkward in person.”

The article was written by Tom Vanderbilt, the author of the New York Times bestselling book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us). Tom also maintains a blog at HowWeDrive.com.

The pilots, which are eligible for funding under a new Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) scheme, are intended to demonstrate the potential for Avego Shared Transport to reduce traffic congestion and expand affordable commuting options in a busy urban environment.

On August 5th, the FHWA issued a solicitation for states and  local government partners to participate in its Value Pricing Pilot (VPP) program. Federal funding is available for innovative, non-tolling pricing programs, including dynamic ridesharing projects like Shared Transport. Formal applications are due on November 3. However, the FHWA is willing to provide feedback on draft proposals submitted by September 21.

Federal Highway Administration logo

“The Federal Highway Administration recognizes the urgent need to reduce the number of single-occupant vehicles on our road,” said Sean O’Sullivan, Avego’s Managing Director. “This new funding opportunity will make it possible for us to work with partners to make Shared Transport a convenient and daily reality for a critical mass of users in American cities.“

A full copy of the FHWA notice is available here.

Any interested parties should contact us or visit our booth (No. 114) at the 2009 ACT International Conference in Washington DC from August 30th to September 2nd.

We hope that our new site will provide us with more room for presenting our expanding portfolio of efficiency-enhancing transportation products and services.

Visit our Shared Transport sub-site to learn more about our iPhone application for enabling private cars to become part of the public transport network, or visit our Futurefleet sub-site to learn more about our real-time management system for passenger transport operators.

Of course, we welcome your comments and feedback, and stay tuned for more updates to the content in the coming days, weeks and months!

Avego Expands to China

In other countries, Avego continues to grow through partnerships with government agencies, value-added resellers, and telecommunications providers. Avego is currently working with companies and educational institutions on projects to roll out Shared Transport pilot programs at major campus environments and medium sized cities in the US, Denmark, France and the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, government-sponsored projects are being implemented in the United States and Europe, as policy-makers recognize the benefits of investing in sustainable transportation.

With offices in the United States, Europe and China, Avego now delivers transport technology and professional services for a global market. If you are interested in establishing a Shared Transport pilot to improve commuting efficiency at a campus environment in your area, please let us know.