What are the current and emerging trends and technologies in ITS and smart mobility?

Increased occupancy is the next frontier in value creation for the automotive system. Connected vehicles offer new potential in terms of measuring, and therefore optimizing, usage, not only for individuals but also for public policies. In particular, measuring the occupancy rate (number of people on board), and therefore availability in terms of transport capacity, represents a new frontier for organizing the sharing of journeys. Many innovations can be expected in the years to come.

Connected vehicles communicate with each other (vehicle-to-vehicle or V2V) and with infrastructure (vehicle-to-infrastructure or V2I) to improve safety, efficiency, and convenience. For example, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Connected Vehicle Pilot Program in cities like New York, Tampa, and Wyoming aims to demonstrate the benefits of connected vehicle technologies, such as reducing traffic congestion and improving safety.

The integration of an Autonomous Vehicle Remote Support Center (AV-RSC) within the region's Traffic Management Center (TMC) may also be crucial for ensuring the safe and efficient deployment of AV technology and should be further explored and considered. The idea behind such RSC centers is to allow for real-time human intervention ONLY when necessary, addressing unique edge cases that software alone may struggle to navigate.

Several strategies are at work when it comes to autonomous vehicles. But in all cases, the value lies not so much in autonomy, as in what this autonomy will be used for. It has been widely demonstrated that vehicle autonomy can lead to a worsening of the situation (congestion, environment, energy...) if the occupancy rate decreases - which is becoming possible, as vehicles can circulate without drivers. On the other hand, if autonomy is put at the service of a transport system that is designed to maximize the occupancy rate - the number of people transported - the beneficial impacts could be major. There is an urgent need to focus on the use of autonomous vehicles, rather than on autonomization technology.

my opinion that robo-taxi is the biggest and most important trend. it will certainly change the transport management and safety ecosystem

MaaS concept is foundation for further development of sustainable urban transportation as it provides all info necessary to plan your trip and choose alternative way of transportation if there is several options

MaaS is an important building block in reducing dependence on the private car, but it is only of interest if there are alternative mobility offers to the private car. With the exception of densely populated areas (city centers), these alternatives do not exist. In this case, MaaS is of little interest, and motorists remain stuck in their cars (with or without MaaS). The challenge lies in the overall thinking behind the mobility system outside dense areas (peri-urban and rural areas), firstly in terms of concrete and material services, and secondly in the implementation of MaaS.

Infrastructures have a key role to play in guiding new uses. Infrastructures have not been designed or optimized to maximize the final service sought: transporting people and goods. The world of infrastructure is now realizing its role in reinventing systems to be service-oriented. This is the case, for example, of the TRAPEZE project, which aims to develop intelligent reserved lanes that combine optimized road use with mobility services and connections to connected vehicles.

Data is in itself a means of rethinking the world of mobility. They enable us to better interpret the concrete, operational situation, at both territorial and individual levels. For example, the deployment of "car-sharing lines" in France is emerging thanks to analyses of transport potential in the regions, based on existing vehicle flows (cars), whose occupancy rate is extremely low (1.4 people per vehicle on average, for everyday journeys). But data alone can't do much when we talk about mobility: we then need to switch to the real world, to change the reality of people who travel, and thus develop innovative mobility services.