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NTT Partners with Edmonton International Airport to Deliver On-demand Transport Services

 Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport & Urban Development (“JOIN”, headquartered in Tokyo, President & CEO: Tatsuhiko Takesada), NTT (NTT Corporation, NTT DATA Corporation, NTT Ltd) and Edmonton International Airport (“EIA”, headquartered in Edmonton, President＆CEO: Tom Ruth), with support from the Invest Alberta Corporation (“IAC”, headquartered in Edmonton, CEO: David Knight-Legg), announced today that the parties have agreed to jointly develop smart transportation projects. 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 around the world. The on-demand bus solution will be managed by leveraging NTT Smart Solutions 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. 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 the addition of 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 will provide insights into the number of riders expected at select virtual stops in the future.

 Following 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.
 
 NTT Smart Solutions were initially conceived to enhance public safety in the City of Las Vegas in 2018. Since then, they have also adapted to track usage and occupancy in parks and beyond and with implementations by other clients in several industries – including the University of California, Berkeley for curb management, IndyCar for improved fan experience, Chicago’s Navy Pier for increased situational awareness and transit agencies for passenger safety.


“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 & 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.”

“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 & 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.”

“We are very excited about this partnership with EIA and are honoured 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 future on-demand autonomous shuttle solutions in line with EIA and NTT continuous investment in innovation and sustainability.”

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."

 JOIN will continue to cooperate with foreign governments including Canada to support and promote business investment in the field of global transportation and urban development projects by Japanese companies

NTT Partners with Edmonton International Airport to Deliver On-demand Transport Services