New Clark City to test Japanese transport system

THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Japan-based New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Corp. (NEDO) will implement a three-year demonstration project on smart mobility solutions in New Clark City and surrounding areas.

In a statement on Wednesday, the BCDA said a memorandum of understanding was signed between BCDA President Aileen R. Zosa and NEDO Executive Director Shuji Yumitori on Feb. 10 during the five-day official visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to Japan.

NEDO is a government organization under the Japan Ministry of Trade and Industry that promotes technological development.

Under the demonstration project, a new public transportation system and last-mile service dubbed Primary Rapid Transit (PRT) will run via a cloud-based fleet management system called Smart Mobility Operation Cloud (SMOC).

“The demonstration project will be executed by a group nominated by NEDO, led by Zenmov, Inc., a Japan-based information technology (IT) solutions provider specializing in the transportation sector, to measure and verify the effectiveness of a transport service system that operates via a cloud-based technology platform,” the BCDA said.

“The demonstration project will come at no cost for the Philippine government, with NEDO and Zenmov committing to finance the project,” it added.

SMOC, Zenmov’s 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. All of these project components are covered by the demonstration project initiated by NEDO,” the BCDA said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Zosa said the project seeks to improve the transportation services and connectivity in New Clark City and surrounding areas.

“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,” Ms. Zosa said.

“BCDA can also develop solutions to better optimize energy use, minimize pollution and lower carbon footprint, and manage congestion and other traffic-related issues,” she added. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave