State-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization of Japan signed a memorandum of understanding for a three-year demonstration project on smart mobility solutions to be implemented in New Clark City and its environs.
The MOU signed by BCDA president and chief executive Aileen Zosa and NEDO executive-director Takashi Wada was part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Japan.
NEDO led by Zenmov Inc., a Japan-based information technology solutions provider specializing in the transportation sector, will nominate a group to measure and verify the effectiveness of a transport service system operating through a cloud-based technology platform.
“In keeping with our goal for the New Clark City to become a green, sustainable and inclusive city, we have partnered with Japan’s NEDO and Zenmov to help BCDA in developing advanced and innovative solutions to improve transportation services and connectivity in this region. We can definitely learn a lot from this sharing of technologies and expertise that our Japanese partners have relating to the advancement of their transportation sector,” Zosa said.
She said with the study’s findings, “BCDA can also develop solutions to better optimize energy use, minimize pollution and lower carbon footprint and manage congestion and other traffic-related issues.”
The demonstration project will come at no cost to the Philippine government, with NEDO and Zenmov committing to finance the project.
Under the demonstration project, a new public transportation system called “Primary Rapid Transit”, an energy-efficient and convenient “last mile” service, will run using the Smart Mobility Operation Cloud.
The SMOC, Zenmov’s cloud-based fleet management system, maximizes operational availability while keeping the number of vehicles at a minimum by managing a lean dispatching system based on travel demand data.
This will be complemented by more energy-efficient, low-carbon and innovative vehicles such as electric vehicles and electric bikes as well as smart poles and drones for real time data collection and dissemination to complete the system.
A government organization under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Japan, NEDO is a national research and development agency that creates innovation by promoting technological development necessary for realization of a sustainable society.