On Friday 26 June, over 100 participants from the smart mobility community elected the winner of the 2020 European Mobility Challenge, a competition where graduate students from universities across Europe are challenged to solve real-life mobility issues and win the chance to represent Europe at the Global Challenge Competition in October 2020. With their solution called MOTUM”, Bucharest University’s team of students impressed the audience with an idea that will decrease traffic and reduce the number of private cars in European cities.
Three teams, three smart mobility solutions, one goal: make European cities more sustainable and inclusive through transport. In front of a European selection committee, city representatives and an audience gathered together from the ITS community; the teams from Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iaşi, Romania; the University “POLITEHNICA” of Bucharest, Romania; and the University of Bologna, Italy, pitched their solutions.
The winning mobility solution was “MOTUM”, which seeks an answer to the challenge that exists at the heart of every city: decreasing traffic and the number of private cars.
“In this fast-paced world, saving time is more important than ever. This challenge was the long-awaited occasion to create a multi-disciplinary team capable of addressing Bucharest’s traffic situation,” said Adrian-Daniel Azoiței, who represented the student team at the competition.
MOTUM is an Integrated Mobility Platform that centralises data from different databases in the already existing infrastructure, riding the wave of emerging technologies powering IoT (5G, AI). MOTUM provides real-time congestion level tracking, alternate means of transport recommendation, community advertising and rewards. All these aim at meeting the needs of the target users by changing the ways in which non-target users (drivers) participate in the traffic of Bucharest.
“We believe in change and this competition is a hands-on opportunity to provide vulnerable road users with a solution that pursues mobility without hindrance. We hope to get the right network and environment to scale up our concept”, concluded Adrian-Daniel.
His dynamic and passionate presentation convinced not only the Jury, but also the city representatives who were challenging the student teams in the Q&A session following the pitches.
“Young talent is the way forward for innovation and a real chance to disrupt traditional structures and solutions,” said Irina Patrascu-Grant, Head of the European selection committee. “There are many exciting opportunities awaiting the winning team, and ERTICO wants to make sure that Adrian-Daniel’s team is well connected to the European and global ITS community and has the opportunity to make a real change in smart mobility”, she concluded.
ERTICO will also offer the winning team visibility in an interview dedicated to MOTUM and will support team members in the preparation for the Global Challenge in October 2020. Stay tuned!
Re-watch the full webinar below:
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