NTT has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Edmonton International Airport (EIA) and Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport & Urban Development (JOIN), with support from the Invest Alberta Corporation (IAC) to jointly develop smart transportation projects.
The MOU includes plans to deploy a smart solutions pilot to deliver a digital on-demand bus service in and around EIA's Airport City. This pilot will leverage a data-driven approach to improve the commuter experience and generate behavior insights for future solutions.
EIA is Canada's fifth-busiest airport and serves 8.2 million passengers per year with non-stop service to 50 destinations worldwide.
"Thanks to our collaboration with NTT and JOIN, we will be able to deliver smart transportation services and solutions related to on-demand service and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)," said Tom Ruth, president and CEO, Edmonton International Airport. "Enhancing passenger experience and improving social, environmental and economic impacts are some of EIA's strategic initiatives that we believe will be accelerated by this partnership with NTT and JOIN."
By leveraging NTT Smart Solutions, the initial phase of the pilot will focus on on-demand ride-hailing, flexible bus routing, scheduling and occupancy. Passengers will benefit from improved booking options with online booking via a mobile app and web portal. The service will allow for a near door-to-door service with bus routes and schedules adjusting in real-time to best suit commuter convenience.
Drivers will access a dedicated driver application providing route guidance between virtual stops while enabling them to manage trips. Occupancy information will be calculated for administrators to manage the operation in real-time and predicted occupancy would provide insights into the number of riders expected at select virtual stops in the future.
The on-demand bus solution will be managed by a centralized Smart Transit Central System that will allocate a shuttle to pick up passengers from their requested locations and then take them to their destinations via the best route calculated in real-time.
"We are very excited about this partnership with EIA and are honored to see NTT Smart Solutions supporting their strategic objectives," said Akira Shimada, senior executive vice president, NTT. "By creating a Smart Transit System, we are also laying the foundation for other innovative services, such as on-demand autonomous shuttle solutions, that EIA and NTT will explore as part of our continuous investment in innovation and sustainability."
Following the successful rollout of this initial pilot focused on five buses, EIA will consider expanding this service to other bus lines and service areas with the possibility of including customized functionalities and additional data sources, such as flight schedules.
"We are pleased to partner with EIA and NTT for the development of smart transportation projects in EIA's Airport City," said Tatsuhiko Takesada, president and CEO, JOIN. "We intend to continuously support NTT and other Japanese companies in their overseas smart cities business by helping them bring high-end Japanese technologies from the upstream of development and promoting their investment."
David Knight Legg, CEO, Invest Alberta Corporation, echoed these comments, adding, "Alberta is incredibly excited for NTT and JOIN to select EIA and the Province as the first test site in North America to deploy its new on-demand public transportation platform. The Edmonton Metropolitan Region continues to establish itself as a leader in digital innovation and smart city initiatives, and IAC is gratified to work with global leaders like NTT and JOIN from Japan to develop new innovative solutions in Alberta and beyond."
