N° 4
April 2021
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TTS Italia is the Italian ITS Association founded with the aim to promote the development and deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in Italy. |
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Amendola: "The first challenge that was posed to me can be summarized as follows: goal zero paper. As soon as I arrived, I was asked to implement dematerialization and digitalization processes"
Dematerialization, digitalization, ITS and MaaS. Here are the keywords of ATAC in the interview with Francesco Amendola, ICT Director of ATAC for just over two years, and who sees PNRR and Recovery Fund as the right opportunity for digitalization projects, which include networks of devices capable of generating or acquire data, and Advanced Analytics technological platforms capable of storing and processing them.
You have been Director of Information Systems at ATAC for just over two years. What are the main challenges you have faced?
The first challenge that was posed to me can be summarized as follows: “zero paper” objective. As soon as I arrived, I was asked to implement processes of dematerialisation and digitalization of company documents, both relating to internal and business processes.
It was a huge opportunity not only to eliminate forms and paper documents, but above all to review and redesign processes with a view to a broader digital transformation. In this way it was possible to simplify and streamline the procedures, with obvious advantages for internal actors and users (employees and traveling customers).
Another important challenge that immediately involved the ICT Management was that of overcoming the technological gap that the company had accumulated over the years, facing business critical equipment and systems with over 20 years of operation. We have launched several tenders for the supply of products and services which, in line with the objectives of the company's industrial plan, had the objective of increasing the quality of the service offered, improving the relationship with users and better developing the Commercial network.
Among the most important initiatives in the ITS field: the procurement of new METs, self-service machines for issuing travel tickets; the procurement of new smart validators for the entire surface fleet; the development of our mobile App, able to offer users the entire range of products and services we manage in an integrated manner; the provision of integrated electronic payment services for both the EMV Transit (tap & go ®) and the retail world (eg. Ticket offices, e-Commerce, Apps, etc.); the launch of a preliminary market consultation preparatory to the drafting of the supply specifications for the new Electronic Ticketing System (SBE).
The pandemic has radically and unexpectedly changed our lives, what impact has it had on ATAC's technological projects?
Certainly, a strong acceleration towards technological innovation, because it forced us to rethink the ways in which to offer services and products to our users, in a highly varied context.
Starting from smart working to allow hundreds of colleagues, who daily needed to connect from home to company information systems, to access with the same simplicity with which they were used to from the office, while ensuring the same safety standards, up to the complete digitalization of the request and renewal processes of the different travel documents (facilitated, young people and students, families, etc.) through online channels, and no longer only at the ticket offices.
In fact, it was the demonstration that the technology was ready (and I would say for some time) to support the transformation of processes, even the most critical business ones, and that not having done it before was mainly due to a "natural" inertia to change that the pandemic, despite its tragic nature, has forced us to overcome.
In the end, what emerged is that nowadays the ICT function is important and strategic to allow companies to be competitive on the market, so my hope is that in the post-Covid world we do not forget and do not "unlearn” what we did during the pandemic in order to continue to be operational and productive.
A fundamental element of public transport is the Electronic Ticketing System. What is the current state and what are the future projects?
As part of Electronic Ticketing, we have launched a preliminary market consultation to identify economic operators able to provide information and technical/functional elements for the drafting of the tender specifications for the new Electronic Ticketing System. The consultation was a huge success, registering the adhesion of 19 national and international subjects.
This shows that the market is interested in our initiatives, so now it is up to us to be able to make the most of this opportunity for innovation and systems evolution.
In particular, we are starting to conceive the new Electronic Ticketing System with a view to MaaS - Mobility-as-a-Service with the expectation of having a technological solution ready to allow us to face the possible challenges that we may be called upon to respond to in the future. We are thinking today of a system that allows us to be ready to face the challenges of tomorrow.
In addition, we are also working on the front of electronic payments that will be increasingly preferred by users over traditional ones, in line with the government's incentive policies (see State Cashback), with initiatives such as: the tender for the identification of an integrated electronic payment service provider for both the EMV Transit (tap & go ®) and the Retail world (eg. Ticket offices and website, but also the new self-service machines Titles or the new mobile App); the activation of a Qualification System to allow the accreditation of persons authorized to operate as Acquirers for the management of payments made with electronic money.
Once the technological integration of the Acquirers with the Electronic Payment Services has been completed, we will have the opportunity to benefit from new services and features such as: offer our users a wider range of payment solutions, which are therefore not only limited to credit or debit cards, but which also include the most innovative solutions based on Digital Wallet (eg. Apple Pay or Google Pay) or even on entirely digital solutions (eg Paypal, Satispay, etc.); benefit as a company from the best economic conditions in the routing of electronic payments to accredited Acquirers, thanks to the automatic optimization of transactions provided within the Payment Services being awarded.
Ultimately, we will have achieved our goal when, thanks to this innovation and integration strategy, we will be able to offer our customers greater simplicity and convenience in the use of public transport services provided by ATAC.
You told us about MaaS. What could be the business model for a complex city like Rome?
MaaS is certainly a current and strongly debated topic, in consideration of the countless possibilities and opportunities that it allows. At the moment, various technical tables are underway but a definitive strategy has not yet been identified. My hope is that ATAC will have a leading role, as it has had in the field of Electronic Ticketing in the last twenty years, with several firsts in identifying and adopting pioneering solutions, which then have been an example. and reference for other operators in the sector.
With a view to improving the service to citizens, what are the main ITS applications that ATAC is implementing?
Also in consideration and in line with the recently approved Rome Smart City Plan, the main projects we are carrying out are precisely: the renewal of the MET fleet, the self-service machines for issuing travel tickets which, from a Smart City perspective, may be connected devices capable of delivering content, information and value-added services for users, citizens and in general for all "City users" of Rome Capital; the renewal of Bus and Tram validators with smart devices, always connected in real time, to be enabling factors for new services, one of which is the extension of direct access also to surface transport with credit cards (tap & go ®), rather than the use of new validation tools such as the Electronic Identity Card (CIE); the new Electronic Ticketing System, conceived from a MaaS perspective to be "Future Ready" and to allow ATAC to be able to manage integration with further services in the Mobility and Transport sector, but not only; the development of a Smart Maintenance platform, for the intelligent management of infrastructures and plants, with the ambitious goal of implementing predictive maintenance logics in order to anticipate blocking problems as much as possible, and therefore to improve the experience and the degree of user satisfaction.
In general, what also emerged from the comparison with colleagues from Roma Capitale and other investee companies is that, in order for all these projects to really offer added value to citizens and users, it is necessary to approach them with a vision towards the future, pursuing functional integration, also with a view to cost sharing; and with clear and shared rules for data exchange, respecting the privacy and protection of users' personal data.
But above all we need to be aware that the citizen / user / city user is unique, even if he moves in different contexts (Mobility, Culture, Environment, etc.), so the key word for success is “integration”.
What are the main actions that Italy should implement in order not to miss the opportunity of the Recovery Fund in the field of Public Transport?
An important point in the context of the PNNR and the Recovery Fund is the awareness that nowadays Public Transport is not composed only of infrastructures and means (to be renewed and maintained with the highest priority), but also of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), without which it is not possible to offer high value-added services to users.
An example among all: due to (or thanks to) the pandemic, we have "dusted off" the technological systems that allowed us to acquire in real time the access data (validation) to the Metrorail network or the number of passengers on board buses through passenger counter systems. This information allowed us on the one hand to organize an access quota service with automatisms to indicate the degree of filling of a station according to the counted accesses, and on the other to communicate to the users waiting at the stops the filling rate of the arriving vehicles.
So I believe that it is appropriate and desirable that part of the PNNR funds are allocated to digitalization projects, which include networks of devices capable of generating or acquiring data (IoT, Smart Devices, etc.) and of Advanced Analytics technology platforms able to store and process them, in order to produce useful information not only for analyzing the dynamics that occurred but, above all, as decision support systems helping and guiding the future choices.
ATAC made its proposals and I can say, in conclusion, that we are ready to accept this challenge as well.
Who is Francesco Amendola. Francesco Amendola, 41, electronic engineer, MBA, is the head of the ICT Directorate of ATAC (the Agency for Mobility in Rome) for two years, taking up the challenge of digital transformation of the first operator of urban mobility in Italy and one of the largest local public transport management companies in Europe.
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SAFETY21
The Safety21 Group offers advanced technologies as well as scalable, state-of-the-art outsourcing services, designed according to the needs of the Italian public authorities and police forces. Through its own IoT TITAN® cloud platform and the modules connected with it, Safety21 guarantees a full coverage of the entire process of managing traffic offenses in Italy and abroad: from the installation of IoT tools on the territory, to the detection of violations and the management of the entire sanctioning process, up to the collection - ordinary and enforced - of outstanding amounts.
The model offered by Safety21 guarantees all authorities a solid financial coverage of the initiative, allowing public authorities to maximise time and resources and apply a concrete policy of prevention and respect of the rules, road safety and upgrade of the control activities on the territory. Established in 2011, Safety21 now serves some 350 public authorities in the area. The Group has its headquarters in Rome as well as operational offices in Milan, Turin, Orvieto, Florence, La Spezia and Varese.
www.safety21.it
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PROJECT IN THE SPOTLIGHT
“Progetto Sicurezza Milano Metropolitana”: one of the largest integrated Smart City plans in Europe
The “Progetto Sicurezza Milano Metropolitana” (www.progettosicurezzamilanometropolitana.it/eng) project is currently one of the largest integrated Smart City plans in Europe for the protection of the territory, the fight against crimes such as littering, the reduction of road accidents and the protection of pedestrians and cyclists.
These are the objectives that the Metropolitan City of Milan entrusted to Safety21, Company Leading the Consortium together with Municipia, in December 2020 through the first Project Financing in this field.
This is a multi-year plan that provides for a widespread intervention on the territory and the installation of more than 300 of the latest generation of IoT technological tools and devices in some of the main roads controlled by the authorities to increase road safety - with a particular focus on accident prevention and defence of the weakest road users, namely pedestrians. The plan also aims at protecting the environment through a surveillance plan of lay-bys, through advanced technological systems, aimed at tackling littering and a constant monitoring of road flows to improve road circulation and reduce congestion in high traffic areas, thus improving air quality.
The program, which involves all 133 municipalities of the Metropolitan City territory, involves the use of the Titan® Ecosystem - Safety21's proprietary digital platform - by the local police. The platform can manage the entire sanctioning cycle, from IoT management to the detection of infringements, and all administrative procedures up to the collection - ordinary and enforced - of outstanding amounts, in Italy and abroad, in full compliance with Privacy Law.
In 2020, Titan® (and all modules connected with it) obtained the AgiD qualification, representing a unique case among management platforms when it comes to violation control and video surveillance.
The “Progetto Sicurezza Milano Metropolitana” project is supported - throughout its entire cycle - by an information and awareness campaign aimed at spreading road safety education and responsible driving behaviour, especially among young people, which also relies on a specific training program for school-age children, developed with the involvement of local institutions and the support of qualified partners such as the ASAP Foundation, Ducati and with the participation of a number of associations of road traffic victims.
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TWO QUESTIONS TO
Gianluca Longo – Safety21 CEO
 Safety21 is the first company in Italy to offer road safety projects in Project Financing: what does it mean to the public administration and why is this model so innovative?
The "Project Financing" is the proposition model within which the major intervention launched by Safety21 with the Metropolitan City of Milan is framed: the “Progetto Sicurezza Milano Metropolitana” project. This is an innovative bid model, since it applies the current European legislation to a technological infrastructure for road safety that allows the construction of a mainly physical infrastructure (parking lots, bridges), through the design proposal of a private entity and the payback of the investment incurred by the same, thanks to the concession for the management of the infrastructure itself. Safety21 is the first company to apply this model to road safety, considering all the innovative aspects for the public administration that intends to undertake a safety policy extended to its territory, obtaining a "zero cost" result and a highly performing infrastructure. This infrastructure, as per contractual obligation, will be constantly updated for the entire duration of the concession. For us, this the keystone offered by this model in the field: infrastructures are often built and then abandoned because, after a few years, the funds for management and maintenance are no longer available, technologies become obsolete, and it is no longer possible to deliver the service to the standards for which it was built. In the context of Project Financing, however, there is a specific obligation of the concession-granting authority to keep infrastructures up to date. Another innovative aspect of this proposal is that part of the investments included in the Project are intended to inform citizens, raise road safety awareness, and train young people, our future road users.
Safety21 manages a wide network of IoT services through its Cloud TITAN® platform: what are the risks and benefits of this management system?
Our entire activity - from the complete management of the sanctioning cycle to all cloud storage procedures and data processing - is managed through our TITAN® platform supplied to the police forces: it is a Cloud platform on which we have been working since 2010 and that migrated to Microsoft Azure four years ago. It is a one-of-a-kind platform, capable of managing information coming from the IoT in the field in a simple way but with a particular focus on data security. When dealing with sensitive information, it is essential to ensure the highest levels of privacy standards. In 2020, TITAN® obtained the AgiD qualification for the management of IoT equipment (violation control and surveillance): this guarantees the quality of the service provided to the public authorities, complete transparency at every stage of the process and full compliance with current regulations. Access to the platform is bound by a cryptographic token supplied to the police: each step is certified and there is no possibility of interference by unauthorized third parties in carrying out any checks.
The use of this platform simplifies processes and avoids burdening the workload of public authorities; on the other hand, TITAN® provides the police forces with a single management system for all their activities, which are generally performed by different systems.
TITAN® also allows for the simultaneous management of many devices. In the case of the “Progetto Sicurezza Milano Metropolitana” project, the TITAN® platform will manage over 300 IoT devices on the territory – 60 of them are related to the sanctioning procedure, whereas 250 of them are active safety systems - including traffic monitoring, video surveillance of lay-bys and unregulated pedestrian crossings, also by providing statistics and analytical reports: a pool of information through which the organization is able to make decisions. |
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The national operative programme
The National Operative Programme for Legality, NOP Legality, owned by the Ministry of the Interior was born in 2007 and it involved Basilicata, Puglia, Calabria, Campania and Sicilia.
It was entrusted with the objective of spreading better conditions of security, justice and legality for citizens and businesses, contributing to the requalification of contexts characterized by greater pervasiveness and relevance of criminal phenomena and to the increase of trust on the part of citizens and economic operations.
The main guidelines on which the Legality Programme is based can be summarized as follows:
- Strengthening the capabilities of Public Administrations involved in the fight against organized crime and corruption making production districts safer increasing the spread of legality.
- Strengthening the capabilities of Public Administrations involved in the fight against organized crime and corruption. It intends to carry out training activities and the financing of advanced technology equipment in order to provide information tools and expert support to Public Administration and police to improve the performance of public functions.
- Supporting the business sector for the creation of safety conditions favouring the development of manufacturing activities. It intends to finance the provision of advanced technological tools for surveillance of production districts.
This project includes a national ANPR network which allow real-time monitoring of dangerous and illegal vehicles and in this regard Tattile supplied its ANPR cameras connected to a national database of vehicle ownership.
The installed system can correctly identify the plates of all 27 Member States of the European Union - an innovative solution which resulted in a reader complete with an inbuilt compressed database of the different
plate formats.
For this project, Tattile has used its Double head ANPR camera and has developed new firmware optimised for this project. The ANPR cameras consist of two sensors: a black and white unit for the OCR and a colour camera which provides contextual overview with embedded algorithm to recognise the vehicle license plate.
The cameras are equipped with additional features like the advanced motion detection algorithm: it can detect also vehicles without plates and without the need for an external trigger.
The collected data are sent in real time to the regional management systems and then matched with the national database (SCNTT); this allows the synchronisation of black and white lists and the continuous update of data held there.
www.tattile.com |
Viasat and Tutela+, a partnership in the name of Sicuri&Protetti
In this spring of 2021, in addition to the daily worry about deaths caused by Covid that do not tend to decrease, there is also the unexpected and significant increase of road accidents. According to ASAPS, analysing the official data collected by the Traffic Police and Carabinieri over the 4 days (2-5 April) of the Easter 2021 weekend, comparing them with those of the same period last year (weekend 10-13 April), an alarming fact emerges: they have almost tripled. There are probably various reasons for this, such as the higher speed due to traffic volumes, which are certainly lower than normal. In any case, this is a very worrying data, especially if projected to a soon and full mobility recovery.
When you are involved in a road accident, very often you don't know exactly how to behave, what the right steps to follow, how to request emergency assistance, how to correctly fill out the Accident Declaration form (CAI), who to contact for assistance in managing compensation procedures or, even worse, for legal advice. Precisely for these reasons, the collaboration between Viasat and Tutela+ was born with the aim of offering customers a wide range of Security services and Legal Protection for businesses and consumers in the event of an accident.
This partnership is also targeted at insurance intermediaries who, thanks to Viasat technology, can enrich their range of services. In fact, Tutela+ partner intermediaries can also propose Sicuri&Protetti services to their customers, thus completing their own commercial offer. Sicuri&Protetti by Viasat is a very complete and modular telematic service offer, highly innovative and an alternative to the traditional Black Box model. It is designed specifically for the insurance world, from insurance companies to insurance brokers, to promote satellite technology as a tool for prevention, protection, assistance and intelligent mobility.
viasatsicurieprotetti.it |
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Comark among the 15 most competitive and reliable companies in Friuli Venezia Giulia
Comark, TTS Italia ordinary member, was among the most competitive and reliable companies in Friuli Venezia Giulia and has recently received the prestigious FELIX AWARD.
The Felix Award is awarded following an annual research conducted by Industria-Felix Magazine in collaboration with Cerved and Il Sole24 Ore.
Read the press release here.
Source: Comark
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digITAlog SpA is born, UIRNet changes name. Greater participation of port system authorities is expected
UIRNet, TTS Italia ordinary member, changes its name: digITAlog SpA is born, with the aim of playing a key role in the promotion of technological innovation, digitization and sustainability of the country's logistics.
digITAlog SpA will have the task of completing the services of the National Logistics Platform, a project launched in 2005 to equip the country with an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) - capable of improving the interconnection of modal interchange nodes, making them «Smart», guaranteeing the modulation of goods flows, concentrating data and providing system services to all operators and stakeholders in logistics and transport.
Source: UIRNet
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Fincantieri and AlmavivA together for safe and sustainable mobility
Fincantieri, through its subsidiary Fincantieri NexTech, and Almaviva, the leading Italian group in digital innovation, and TTS Italia ordinary member, signed a collaboration agreement to support and boost the digitalization process in the transportation and logistics sector. The goal is to foster a mobility system that better responds to the new needs of people and goods movement, with special attention to environmental impact and safety.
The partnership aims at developing solutions based on the new models and trends of modern mobility, such as the connected vehicle (a vehicle equipped with sensors perceiving the surrounding reality and interacting with it), and the smart road (which allows communication and interconnection between vehicles), with the overall purpose of increasing travel and passenger safety. Furthermore, applications for transport safety and predictive maintenance processes will also be developed with the support of artificial intelligence algorithms and the digital twin, which reproduces all the infrastructure characteristics in a digital three-dimensional and virtually browsing format.
These solutions will be offered to all the players concerned, from managed service companies to service operating companies, managing authorities and public entities in charge of service programming and control activities.
The agreement between the two companies also provides for an international development plan aimed at enhancing the Made in Italy so that it can establish itself also in a highly competitive sector currently dominated by American and Chinese players.
Alberto Tripi, Almaviva Group President, stated: “A significant part of the resources of the NRRP, the Italian plan for resilience and restart, will be earmarked for the transport and logistics sector. This is a unique opportunity for the development of our country in strategic areas such as sustainable mobility and public transportation, road safety and intermodal logistics and through the partnership with Fincantieri, we are offering the country system solid ‘Made in Italy’ know-how and digital technologies”.
Fincantieri CEO, Giuseppe Bono, stated: “This partnership pools the extremely high innovation content expressed by two companies that view research and development activity as an essential driver. This initiative will allow us to develop our digital skills further, directing our efforts towards using artificial intelligence to monitor the different infrastructure and the territory, as well as towards integrating the different mobility networks. In this way, we will be contributing enormously to the transportation sector, surely one of the main sectors on which the best resources in the Country should converge”.
Source: Almaviva
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Introducing the “Smart Mobility and Logistics” Hub for new integrated and sustainable mobility
The Federico II University and AlmavivA, both TTS Italia ordinary members, together for a center of excellence dedicated to digital research and innovation in the transport and tourism area.
Naples, 31 March 2021 – The near future of integrated and sustainable mobility. This is the elected field of the new Smart Mobility and Logistics Hub of excellence presented today, born out of the collaboration agreement between the Naples Federico II University, a prestigious academic organization in the research and education sector and a reference point in Italy for transportation engineering, and AlmavivA, a leading Italian group in digital innovation.
The intention of the Hub is to be a nerve center to provide concrete momentum to digital transformation in the world of transport, infrastructures and services, with the goal of designing the mobility of the future – over land, by sea and by air, of people and goods – in a key of environmental, economic and social sustainability, increasingly more oriented toward safety and accessibility, the centrality of the user and the travel experience, as well as efficient management.
The ecosystem of mobility and tourist operations, harshly penalized by the pandemic, may represent a fundamental growth engine and a lever for the recovery of the country system. This is the goal of the collaboration agreement, founded on the excellences of the south with a national vision that considers the social and territorial fabric.
The agreement between Federico II University and AlmavivA, open to the cooperation of operators in the sector, associations, academic and research organizations, and local governments, is born under the banner of the integration of know-how, reinforcement of technological transfer processes, the development of new skills and new opportunities for the production chain.
The agreement focuses on six themes, identified as major research and development strands.
Smart Road, dedicated to connected mobility solutions that guarantee the best possible management of roads and traffic in terms of safety and comfort. In this area, the Hub will be a nerve center in support of startups and SMEs. Smart Terminal Hub, oriented toward the digital transformation paths of ports, airports and stations, based on safety, efficiency and environmental sustainability requirements. Smart on Board Services, on the quality of services during travel and the on-board experiences for long-distance railway companies, metropolitan systems, local public transport and micromobility.
Mobility as a Service, in a logic where the concepts of mode, service and operator and the very distinctions between private and collective mobility integrate in an ecosystem of technologically assisted mobility and in new business models. Logistics & Freight, a sector where strategic relevance has been even clearer during the pandemic and the development of which will allow further evolution of the platforms in the direction of Logistics as a Service. Asset Management & Predictive Maintenance, which focuses on infrastructures as strategic assets and on the relative maintenance processes.
“The agreement represents a chance to contribute to the mobility revolution, using the university’s wealth of knowledge and its ability to create innovation, economic development and high-level education in the technological and managerial sectors associated with sustainability”, explains Matteo Lorito, Dean of Federico II University. “The initiative will be integrated with a fledgling University SUM - Smart and Sustainable Mobility - task force and part of a series of projects also capable of making the University structures sites for the experimentation of new solutions.”
“Academia and industry, scientific research and technological know-how, a project that aims at sharing knowledge for the digital transformation of mobility and logistics: this is what the collaboration between AlmavivA and Federico II University means”, commented Alberto Tripi, AlmavivA President. “The agreement signed today launches a path of innovation and growth for development and a new model of mobility and, in perspective, of tourism. With the ambition of fueling a hub of aggregation, open to the participation of public and private organizations, committed to promoting investments and objectives of modernization for a strategic system of the country.”
Watch the event presentation video.
Source: AlmavivA |
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New AEP publication: contactless EMV banking
Contactless EMV banking systems in the world of public transport have had considerable success, and AEP, TTS Italia ordinary member, is at the forefront in this sector: there are now so many cities where it is now possible to use this form of payment, for which the customers show a high level of satisfaction.
AEP dealt with the topic with two more "technical" publications, dedicated to professionals: Publication 740561, EMV Cards in Public Transport; Publication 740562, Quickly Understanding EMV Bank Card Security.
In addition, a new document has been drawn up with a practical cut, and which tries to answer the most common user questions; it can therefore also be used as a basis for the Company's communication with travelers.
To download it, go to the publications page of the AEP website: https://www.aep-italia.it/pubblicazioni/.
Source: AEP |
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Rome: the private car remains the preferred means of transport
Even after the end of the Coronavirus pandemic emergency, the private car remains the preferred means of travel for Roman citizens: 82%, in fact, say they will continue to travel like this. This is confirmed by a research carried out in collaboration between the Filippo Caracciolo Foundation of ACI, TTS Italia founding member, and the Automobile Club of Rome. The analysis involved a sample of 1,200 members and referred to three different moments: January 2020 (before the pandemic), May 2021 (period of possible exit from the emergency) and, finally, an ideal future scenario and concerned the entire mobility offer of the City. Beyond the result concerning cars, the popularity of the public bus and tram service is decreasing: if before the spread of Covid-19, 29% of Romans preferred this mode of travel, now only 26,5% do so, also due to the risks associated with the possibility of gatherings on the vehicles. For the post-pandemic future, however, especially if the offer manages to improve in terms of quality, 35.6% of people are willing to use it on a daily basis. In January 2021, only 4.3% of respondents chose to move by bikes or scooters. A percentage that, in May 2021, rises to 10%. In the future, almost one in 4 people say they are interested in this new kind of mobility. The use of motorbikes and mopeds is stable - around 15%, while the share of those who opt for walking is 30%. The research also highlights a trend for the future: in particular in the face of more interesting alternative offers, the number of those who plan to use the private vehicle in any case drops to 59%. The analysis also investigates the effects of smart working on citizens' lives, a factor that influences the demand for mobility: 70% of Romans worked agile during the lockdown and 56.7% believe that this mode will remain prevalent in future, albeit alternating with the presence in the office. The survey by the Caracciolo Foundation also photographs the willingness to renew the vehicle fleet in the capital: 83% of the interviewees declared that they will not buy a car in 2021. Of those who are preparing to replace their vehicle, 75% will choose a new vehicle and hybrids are the most coveted (44%), while petrol, diesel and LPG each accounted for 15% of preferences. 100% electric cars are now convincing only 6.4% of citizens, mainly due to the high costs and limited availability of charging stations. Methane is even more marginal (3.5%).
Source: L’Automobile |
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Scania reports progress on climate targets
For the first time since Scania, TTS Italia ordinary member, set its Science Based Targets, the company reports on the progress on emission reduction both from its own operations and from vehicles in use.
In its own operations, Scania has already decreased carbon emissions by 43 percent from 2015 levels, through increased energy efficiency, reduction of energy waste and transfer to renewable energy. This means Scania is well on track to achieve the target of a 50 percent reduction by 2025 (scope 1 and 2) .
“We are ahead of plan with the reduction of carbon emissions from our operations globally, a lot thanks to our transition to fossil-free electricity for all our production sites that we reached during 2020,” says Scania President and CEO Henrik Henriksson.
Scania has also committed to reduce CO2 emissions from its products in use by 20 percent by 2025 (scope 3), with a 2015 baseline.
“We also see progress in reducing the emissions from when our vehicles are in use, which constitutes over 90 percent of Scania’s total emissions, “Henriksson continues. Currently Scania is at 95.8 percent, a reduction of just above 4 percent. Starting on 100 percent in 2015, Scania aims to reach 80 percent by 2025 at the latest. Carbon emissions from Scania’s products in use are measured as well-to-wheel i.e. emissions generated in the production of the fuel or electricity are taken into account.
More significant steps are underway, as Scania continues to work closely with customers, focusing on energy efficiency in the conventional powertrain and increasing the share of biofuels which has an immediate as well as a retroactive effect on the rolling fleet of vehicles.
Scania will ramp up the volumes of electric vehicles with at least one new electric product application commercially launched in the bus or truck segment annually.
“Our climate targets are deeply embedded in daily decisions we make across the company. They are fundamental to our strategy and part of our corporate targets. They are our North Star – a guide that shows us the direction. We seek to continuously improve the environmental performance of our products, processes and services,” Henriksson concludes.
The information is released as part of Scania’s Annual and Sustainability Report 2020, find the full report here.
Source: Scania |
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Targa Telematics Observatory: at Easter 2021 greater mobility compared to the 2020 lockdown
During the period of Easter 2021 - from the Thursday preceding the holiday, until the following Tuesday - Italians moved significantly more than in the same period last year, when a particularly severe lockdown and measures were in force in the country.
A trend that is also clearly visible in the data on the average kilometers traveled by cars belonging to company fleets or leased long-term for private use.
If at Easter 2020 there was a decrease in mobility equal to -73% compared to the corresponding Easter period of the previous year - in which Italy was in a situation of full normality - in 2021 there was a -34% if always compared with 2019, a number that is definitely up two and a half times compared to 2020.
This is what emerges from the data contained in the privileged Observatory of Targa Telematics, a tech company specialized in the development of digital solutions in the field of telematics, smart mobility and IoT platforms for mobility operators, and founding member of TTS Italia, which monitors over half million connected assets.
Source: Targa Telematics |
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The COVID impact on travel habits: the new TRASPOL / Politecnico di Milano report
The new report by TRASPOL and Politecnico di Milano, TTS Italia ordinary member, shows a significant change in the habits of travelers in Italy and the increase in prices during the pandemic.
The pandemic, repeated lockdowns and constant changes in quarantine regulations have certainly added their share. Previous years promised an absolutely growing 2020, but demand drops significantly already in February.
2020 was a difficult year for everyone, both for travelers, forced home by repeated lockdowns and quarantines, and for transport companies, which found themselves having to turn off the engines of their vehicles even for months. Together with these, a whole world of tourism-related services has practically stopped.
The eighth report on the long-distance bus market, presented by Politecnico di Milano - TRASPOL and CheckMyBus, is different from all its previous editions: Italians not only traveled less, but they also traveled differently.
In the report presented last year, the trend of the research projected a growing 2020, but this was only true for the month of January. Already February suffers a significant decline in demand, due to the first cases of Coronavirus in Italy. The remainder of the first half of 2020 shows a reduction in searches on CheckMyBus by up to 75%.
We find a partial recovery in late spring, which continues into the summer. The levels reached are never higher than those of January and the comparison with previous years reveals a 2/3 collapse in searches. With October, the restrictions due to the second wave return, and the trend returns to negative until the end of the year. In contrast to previous years, also the price trend: the companies, to recover the costs of the many lost revenues, have increased their tickets by about 50%, especially in the second half of the year. In particular, and again in the opposite direction to what happened previously, the larger companies have increased the price of their tickets more than the smaller companies did.
Looking at the region-by-region differences, it can be seen that the South, less affected at the beginning of the pandemic, resumed travel earlier than the North. The most searched routes are between Lazio-Abruzzo (11%) and Campania-Abruzzo (6%).
However, the pandemic has not only meant a general decline in transport, but also a change in the habits of travelers: users have been divided almost in half between men and women, after years of female majority. Young people have traveled more in proportion, certainly helped by the lower risk to their health, and possibly also by the increase in the digitization of many Italian companies.
As for the connections with the airports, the longer routes have almost disappeared, leaving the field to shorter journeys, mainly directed to the major airports in Rome and Milan. The capital also conquers the position of the first internationally sought-after city, surpassing the Lombard capital.
Source: Ferpres |
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TIM and ALIS sign an agreement for sustainable and intelligent mobility
Making the mobility of goods and people smarter, more efficient and also greener thanks to digital technologies and generating a positive impact in economic, social and environmental sustainability terms in the transport, logistics and intermodal supply chain. This is the goal of the agreement signed by TIM, TTS Italia ordinary member, and by the Logistics Association of Sustainable Intermodality (ALIS), which represents over 1,500 companies in the sector and more than 180,000 workers.
The agreement will support the companies associated with ALIS in the digital transformation process through the adoption of technological solutions capable of responding to the renewed needs of the sector. To this end, a close collaboration between TIM and ALIS is envisaged, which will lead to the establishment of a joint working group for the application of advanced ICT solutions - based on the Internet of Things, big data, cloud and cybersecurity - for example, to improve document management, the tracking of goods and corporate assets as well as the remote control of technological systems and means of transport, in order to obtain an increase in production efficiency and operator safety. The blockchain will also be promoted for the traceability of goods, from taking charge to transport, to temporary storage, to distribution and destination. The use of artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality and drones will also be aimed at the activities of ports, interports, stations, warehouses, logistics centers to increase the safety of people and goods.
Source: Italian Affairs |
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Transport of medicines at controlled temperature: Geotab telematics supports Univex in the constant and real-time monitoring of the fleet
With over 250 vehicles including vans and minivans, Univex SRL - a rapidly expanding international company engaged in the distribution of temperature-controlled drugs and parapharmaceuticals - has chosen Geotab, TTS Italia ordinary member, to optimize the management and automatic monitoring of its fleet. Thanks to the telematic solution implemented and the wealth of vehicle information collected, Univex was able to manage its vehicles more efficiently and quickly, while simultaneously ensuring compliance with the cold chain, which is essential for preserving the properties of the products transported.
Since the start of its activities, Univex has implemented a system for monitoring and analyzing data from the handling of medical products. However, with the increase in the number of means and necessary information, including geolocation, the solution initially adopted proved to be inflexible and not prepared for future expansions.
For the company it was first and foremost essential to be able to monitor the temperature of the loading compartments automatically and in real time, to ensure the correct storage of the products during the transport phase. Furthermore, reporting with timely data proved to be strategic both to organize and optimize deliveries, improving operational performance, and to offer the customer timely traceability of the shipment.
Univex therefore identified the limits of the system in place and chose the solution of an authorized Geotab Business Partner, with the aim of benefiting from better fleet management, more efficient and optimized in terms of business opportunities, accuracy and versatility.
To respond to new needs and anticipate possible future expansions, applying logic of a larger scale to offer a service comparable to that of an express courier, Univex has equipped the vehicles of its fleet with Geotab's GO9 telematic device.
Thanks to the solution based on MyGeotab, the company is therefore able to detect at any time not only at what temperature the goods are, but also where they are (in the warehouse or on the road). Each time the vehicles reach the pharmacy preloaded on the system, in fact, a warning associated with the vehicle license plate is issued: in this way, it is possible to know precisely when the delivery has been made and also to better protect the transporter himself.
The wealth of telematic data, the ease of hardware installation and the possibility of customization were the fundamental levers that guided Univex in the choice of a telematic solution. The MyGeotab API connection allows devices to collect strategic information for the business: shipments at a defined time, ready departures, constant monitoring and maintenance of the cold chain are just some of the features enabled by the solution, which have allowed the company to satisfy make the most of any specific customer request and make available to them in real time the complete traceability of the route and the temperatures of the vehicles.
Furthermore, the ability to customize the platform has made it possible to better target the needs of the fleet, enabling customized reports and alarm notifications in the event of temperature anomalies. MyGeotab also allows, among its features, to improve the efficiency of vehicles with respect to fuel consumption and to minimize CO2 emissions through comparative analyzes and reports.
Italian legislation, European guidelines and the interest of the pharmaceutical sector in not disappointing market expectations determine the demand for high frequency deliveries and, therefore, for adequately equipped vehicles. The "safety" element also becomes a qualifying aspect to ensure maximum hygiene conditions and protection of the efficacy of the active ingredients of the drugs handled, for which it is essential to comply with the conditions indicated regarding the storage temperature and traceability standards.
The integration of the Geotab solution into the Univex fleet has therefore allowed the company not only to comply with regulatory requirements, but also to increase productivity: time savings of approximately 25% have been recorded, as well as improvements in logistic activities deriving from from the optimization of the driver paths.
Source: Geotab |
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UIRNet: new agreement signed with the Coast Guard for the exchange of data and information
UIRNet, TTS Italia ordinary member, has signed an agreement with the Coast Guard aimed at sharing data and information, useful for the implementation of the national logistics platform.
UIRNet is the actuator of the National Digital Logistics Platform, established with the aim of improving the efficiency, sustainability and safety of freight transport and logistics, favoring the interconnection of modal interchange nodes (rail, road, ship), the homogenization of ports Community System and the overall harmonization of the system with the maritime single window.
The stipulated agreement enhances the support that the Coast Guard, as the primary node for exchanging information on merchant shipping traffic, and the individual maritime authorities are able to offer to the country's logistics chain, through their respective IT systems with positive effects on the operational, administrative and authorization cycles linked to the transit of goods in the port area. As a result, the safety levels of the maritime / port areas and activities are improved, thanks to the sharing of relevant information. In addition to the strictly operational support linked to the cycle of port operations, the agreement aims to favor the exchange of information between UIRNet and the General Command for the development of analyzes and / or studies on the dynamics of intermodality and the related infrastructural and organizational needs.
Source: UIRNet |
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TTS Italia welcomes new members!
Following the last online meeting of the TTS Italia Board of Directors, the following joined the Association:
Bridge129 (www.bridge129.com): the company operating in the areas of access control, traffic monitoring, video surveillance, security systems, offering innovative and technologically advanced solutions by offering various products and services. Bridge129 is part of the TTM Group (TOP TECHNOLOGY MISSION), a financial holding that brings together different business initiatives.
Comark (www.comarkud.it): a company operating since 1994 and specialized in the development and production of products for monitoring road traffic, parking lots and cycle paths.
MemEX (www.memexitaly.it): an engineering consultancy company active, since 1994, in the sectors of Public Transport and Mobility, with particular reference to technological systems (ITS), Urban Logistics and Smart Cities.
FB Innovation (www.pin.bike): a company operating on sustainable mobility and bike sharing issues, by promoting the Pin Bike solution. Pin Bike is the anti-fraud system, patented and certifying that allows a Municipality (or even a company or a school) to be able to issue kilometer incentives to users / citizens who use their own bicycles for urban travel. The main objective of Pin Bike is to encourage sustainable urban mobility, by bicycle and carpooling (shared car), with a "gamification" initiative.
Trafficlab (www.trafficlab.eu): is an innovative company engaged in the development of cloud platforms and advanced technological solutions which, thanks to its artificial intelligence models applied to cameras and big-data, offers traffic monitoring and regulation of new generation intelligent transport systems. |
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Next Generation Mobility: an event to plan mobility with citizens at the center, TTS Italia among the institutional partners
On 18, 19 and 20 May, Turin hosts Next Generation Mobility, an event that aims to bring together all the stakeholders to design a mobility at the service of citizens, and which sees TTS Italia among the institutional partners. Designing and implementing next generation mobility means integrating key issues of today's and tomorrow's mobility: sustainability, intermodality, safety, accessibility through technology, research, innovation, investments and the involvement of companies and institutions.
Not surprisingly, mobility as a service is the opening session of the event, which raises both technological and management issues. The second day will talk about electrification of mobility; and technology with two themes: the air mobility of people and goods on urban and short-haul routes, carried out with piloted vehicles or preferably with remote or autonomous driving; and smart mobility in the strict sense, from vehicles and infrastructures connected to autonomous driving, from infotaiment to road safety, with technological focus on vehicle digitization, 5G, mapping and geomatics. To close the circle, on the third and final day, a return to the concept of mobility as a service, this time aimed at goods.
For more details on the event and how to participate, visit: www.ngmobility.it |
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MaaS and infrastructures: TTS Italia at the MaaS Alliance webinar
TTS Italia was among the speakers of the webinar organized on April 30 by the MaaS Alliance on “Futureproof and MaaS-ready transport infrastructure”.
The webinar, moderated by ERTICO, wanted to answer some key questions such as:
• What will the cities of the future be like?
• How will MaaS affect the structure of cities?
• How to future-proof infrastructure plans?
• How to use the tools available for better planning?
TTS Italia, in particular, focused on direct experiences in the MyCorridor and PriMaaS projects.
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Logistics, mobility and technology: President Panero's interview on Radio24
The world of mobility and logistics is now increasingly integrated with that of technology. Think, for example, of the automation of tracking, the digitization of customs processes, the communication between vehicles and infrastructures, the security systems installed on vehicles and the huge amount of data produced every day.
In March, these issues were discussed during the webinar "ITS applications for the efficiency of logistics", organized by TTS Italia.
Rossella Panero, President of TTS Italia, talks about it on Radio 24, explaining how, although the technologies are already available and some interventions already implemented, there is still a lack of regulatory, educational and even cultural tools to bring about a real revolution digital in the industry. A shortage that between criticalities and inefficiencies costs the country about 70 billion euros every year, of which 30 due to the lack of simplification and digitalization of processes.
Listen to the full interview (in Italian) here.
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Master in e-ticketing and innovative digital systems: TTS Italia at the presentation webinar
On April 26, TTS Italia took part in the presentation webinar of the Master in electronic ticketing and innovative digital systems, promoted by Club Italia and Mobility Academy.
Public transport and rail transport are experiencing a particular moment, in which coexist problems but also research, linked to Covid, and on the other hand an effervescence of technological solutions regarding infomobility, MaaS, use of Mobile, passenger counting, video surveillance, etc.
It is an evolving framework, including economic one, therefore the Master wants to allow access to the knowledge necessary to successfully govern the development and management of new innovative ticketing and ITC systems for collective transport, through managerial and technical training.
TTS Italia, one of the sponsors of the webinar, participated in the round table which involved the sector associations, represented by the Secretary General, Olga Landolfi. |
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MaaS: working group closed, TTS Italia towards the presentation of the Recommendations
With the online meeting of 31 March, the Working Group (WG) launched by TTS Italia and coordinated by 5T on MaaS, launched in January 2020, ended after more than a year: intense teamwork with the aim of analyzing, discussing and defining the enabling conditions necessary for the development and dissemination of MaaS services in Italy.
Three core teams identified in the WG to come up with guidelines of 5 chapters: introduction to MaaS, MaaS and business, MaaS and Governance, MaaS and Technology, the regulatory context at European level. And above all, 12 recommendations were drawn up which can be summarized with the following keywords: trust, openness, market, freedom, public governance, sharing, public transport, multimodality, data, interoperability, support for demand, sustainability.
The Group's work went hand in hand with the institutional one carried out by the Association which, as announced in recent days, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Technical Mission Structure of the Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility (MIMS) to support the full diffusion of MaaS nationally.
Furthermore, TTS Italia was audited by the Study Commission set up by MIMS to propose interventions aimed at reforming the local public transport sector, on March 17th. Theme of the comparison, precisely the MaaS and the role of the public transport in the MaaS.
The guidelines created within the Working Group will be presented with a public event which, in collaboration with Club Italia and compatibly with DPCM and health situation, in Rome. |
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Digital infrastructures to boost logistics: here are the measures to be implemented. Our article on Ingenio.
Not just physical infrastructures, Italy needs to work on digitization towards smart logistics. Simple steps such as the dematerialization of documents, data sharing and the customs one-stop shop. Measures also included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan capable of bridging the competitive gap in Italian logistics. This is what emerges from the document that we presented in the context of an online event organized on March 24th.
Read our article on Ingenio here.
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“UVAR Box” project: TTS Italia at the webinar on objectives and benefits in the field of digitization
The second workshop of the “UVAR Box” project took place on 15 April.
Bruno Pezzuto, Vice President of TTS Italia, was among the speakers to illustrate the state of the art of ITS and technologies for UVAR.
The objective of the event was to introduce the Project to the Italian Public Administrations and to all interested stakeholders, illustrating the main objectives and benefits from their participation in the various Project initiatives.
"UVAR Box" addresses the issue of the digitization of information related to UVARs of which the "ZTL" (Limited Traffic Zone), the "LEZ" (Low Emission Zone), the "pedestrian zones", the "Parking regulation" and the “Congestion charge” are part.
During the event, various topics related to the Project and the reasons that led to its birth were discussed.
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• Italia-Bari
Support services to air servicesaerei
• Italia-Firenze
Public transport services
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• Italia-Pavia
Printing services
• Italia-Ravenna
Traffic lights maintenance
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Next Generation Mobility
18 - 19 - 20 May, 2021 – Turin and WEB EVENT
For further information, click here →
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Workshop Autonomous Vehicles, Social and Ethical Acceptance – Present and Future Scenarios
28 May 2021 - WEB EVENT
For further information, click here →
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