Smart charging is about intelligently organizing and optimizing the charging process for drivers, and between vehicles and the energy grid. It starts with easy access to the charging point and includes the payment procedure, the specification of when the charging process should be completed, protective charging of the battery, and the avoidance of overload situations in the power grid. Electric charging is actually more complicated than refueling. But for customers who really want to migrate to electric vehicles, it's not just the much-cited range that's important, but also a pleasant charging experience.

The pandemic has taken a toll on the public transit industry, but the light at the end of the tunnel is coming into focus in 2021. Peter Varga, former CEO of The Rapid tells us the 3 things we can look forward to this year for ensuring the future of public transportation.

Covid-19 is a big crisis for the public transit sector, but if you think about it, we faced or are facing several different kinds of crisis under the Covid-19 umbrella. Join Suvi Schaub, ITS member from Singapore as we discuss the five challenges to conquer to ensure the future of public transit.

Two things are at top-of-mind for public transportation providers

today: Ensuring they can continue to provide an

essential service and keeping passengers and employees safe

while doing so. Social distancing is crucial to meet both of these

requirements. Speaking with INIT's head of research and development, Dirk Weisser explains how agencies can use real-time passenger counting data to ensure quality service and keep passengers informed.

The next generation ORCA system will revolutionize the Central Puget Sound’s transit experience, but what does that look like for the rider? How do you replace a legacy fare collection system with a modern, account-based and open architecture fare system designed for multiple modes of transportation, including fixed-route buses, light rail, commuter rail, streetcars, ferries and water taxis? Find out in this latest tech podcast where we talk to the engineers behind the massive project.

Implementing electric vehicles requires careful thought for range prediction, charge management, operations control and more. Before implementation, comprehensive processes, like simulation and forecasting must be planned. Two mobility experts share their best practices and lessons learned in this podcast on Electromobility.

The progress being made in Portland is not only exciting, but also promising as modern fare technologies like account-based ticketing, virtual fare cards and fare capping are providing social equity and greater flexibility for passengers traveling in the region.

A mobility assistance app for hearing, visual or mobility-impaired riders has been launched in Singapore. ASSISTIVEtravel supports passengers at all stages of their travel. The app provides ride hailing, stop alerts, T-loop featured announcements and communication between driver and rider to determine wheelchair space on-board vehicles. Suvi Schwab, regional director of Asia-Pacific in Singapore tells us how the app is used at Land Transport Authority.

Meet Taras Grescoe, a true mobility, urbanism and public transportation advocate who believes the key to making our cities sustainable, accessible, and equitable lies in planning for great public transit.

In his internationally acclaimed book, Straphanger (Henry Holt, Harper Collins), Grescoe visited fourteen cities across the globe to examine who is getting the sustainable mobility formula right.

As a leading voice on urbanism, Grescoe's writing on cities has appeared on the op-ed pages of the New York Times, The Guardian, Monocle, and The Atlantic's CityLab. He's also been named one of the top influencers on the theme of urban transportation on Twitter.

Grescoe is INIT's keynote at the upcoming User Group Meeting being held on November 3-6, 2019 in Albany, NY. For more info, visit https://www.initse.com/ende/us/news-resources/events/initugm2019.html

The dawn of autonomous fleets in public transportation raises questions of funding, safety, ownership, and how public transportation as an institution will ultimately change as a result of the technology.

Skeptics and supporters alike can agree – autonomous vehicles (AVs) will continually be researched, tested, funded, and eventually rolled out to the public in the decades to come. So, what can transit agencies do about it today?