Crowded roads. Traffic jams. Long queues for tickets. Transportation as we know it is far from perfect, but new developments in automation and artificial intelligence offer us a glimpse of a smoother journey. Spanning across the legacy paradigms of private transport and public transport, we imagine a new dimension where technology guides our everyday commutes.

With a rapidly expanding population, Asia Pacific is seeing an increase in demand for alternative transport modes. This growing need has been captured in various transport initiatives across the region, including the “Victoria Bus Plan” in Melbourne, Australia, and "Smart Mobility 2030" in Singapore. As governments look to prepare for the future, how can technology partners like NEC step up their involvement?

With years of industry-leading experience in data utilization, NEC has always endeavored to empower governments and transport operators to make cities smarter, safer and more sustainable. We believe that a Smart Transportation system functions as the central nervous system of smart cities, and also has a pivotal role in transforming society itself. 

Through our innovative offerings in smart transportation management, traffic analytics, and digital infrastructure, we have helped reduce traffic congestion and optimize routes, thereby decreasing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 

In the Philippines, our partnership with the national transport department has enabled us to digitize fare collection and upgrade communication systems across their commuter rail network. These developments not only improve the transport infrastructure for passengers, but also provide convenience and improved workflows for transport operators, allowing them to focus on a greater level of service delivery.

This quest for greater efficiency is also demonstrated in Hong Kong, where our contributions to the fleet management system enables safer and smoother commutes. Automatic bus stop announcements reduce drivers’ workloads, while data on every journey is logged and uploaded to backend servers for review, enabling staff to concentrate on other areas of operations. 

To combat the perennial issue of bus bunching, we have developed a Smart Command Centre that blends the predictive analysis of arrival times with fast schedule optimization techniques.  When service-impacting events occur, the Smart Command Centre's dashboard issues alerts and suggests possible improvements. Transport operators can then visualize the potential impact and make real-time interventions, ensuring minimal disruption to commuters’ daily journeys.