The next-generation Controlled Vehicular Access system (CVA) for Valletta, now in its second year of live operations, has won an ELTIS Award.
VALLETTA - 01/05/2008 - The next-generation Controlled Vehicular Access system (CVA) for Valletta has won an European Local Transport Information Service (ELTIS) award as a European best practice model for best case study of the year 2007.
ELTIS is led by an international team of transport related organisations and has been setup by the European Commission's Directorate General for Energy and Transport. ELTIS provides a comprehensive portal on urban transport and mobility information in the entire European Union, supporting the transfer of knowledge and exchange of experience between different transport authorities and transport users.
The CVA system is a project under the portfolio of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Communications (MITC) in Malta, operated on behalf of the Malta Transport Authority by CVA Technology Co. Ltd., of which Charonite is a shareholder. Charonite has supplied and implemented the back office and backend solutions together with the next-generation variable billing system based on its Obulus Platform for use in the CVA system.
"With CVA we have proved that we can be innovative when addressing our congestion challenges and we can be successful. In Valletta we needed to tackle the seemingly insurmountable challenge of sharing fairly between all those who wanted to come to town the very limited space there. Though certainly we need to look at how to refine the system and address new challenges that have emerged since the CVA was introduced, we have managed to find a system that has improved the lot for residents, shoppers and people working in Valletta too", commented Minister Austin Gatt. "The fact that we have a city that can now boast a larger, more attractive and more pleasant pedestrian area in its core is the first boost. But the CVA has also increased retail business in Valletta, justified the investment of the Park and Ride as an alternative to parking in town for employees and, very importantly, has brought about the first increase in public transport custom in 13 years as more commuters use the bus to come to work in Valletta than ever before. Technology is an important tool in acheiving these aims and the CVA has been an important step in this effort which we will be boosting in the coming months and years."
The Obulus Platform provides a next generation vehicular access control system for the CVA system in Valletta. Being the first operational variable charge billing system worldwide, Obulus can support thousands of transactions and enable cities to regain control over traffic, while helping the overall quality of life for its residents and road users.
About the CVA System
The CVA system was launched in Valletta on 1 May 2007, replacing an old system of annual licenses (the V-plate), with a state-of-the art charging system. An average of 80,000 unique vehicles now access Valletta every month, compared with a maximum of 33,000 of the former holders of the old V-licence, resulting in better utilisation of Valletta’s retail, commercial and historic places. The CVA system has markedly improved the availability of parking spaces in the city center, with vehicles staying on average for just 2.5 hours. The quality of the environment has also improved, with residents having fewer problems in accessing their homes, and shifting of thousands of vehicles and voyages to public transport and the Park and Ride system.
About Charonite Co. Ltd.
Charonite is an innovative technology venture that develops cutting edge software applications combining various technologies, creating new products and techniques and valuable Intellectual Property, specialising in the fields of Search Engine technology, Intelligent Transportation Systems and advanced computing clusters. Charonite also provides consultancy, SEO services and web analytics and online marketing solutions via its strategic partnerships and own solutions. The company’s software is in daily use by over 160,000 users.
ELTIS is led by an international team of transport related organisations and has been setup by the European Commission's Directorate General for Energy and Transport. ELTIS provides a comprehensive portal on urban transport and mobility information in the entire European Union, supporting the transfer of knowledge and exchange of experience between different transport authorities and transport users.
The CVA system is a project under the portfolio of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Communications (MITC) in Malta, operated on behalf of the Malta Transport Authority by CVA Technology Co. Ltd., of which Charonite is a shareholder. Charonite has supplied and implemented the back office and backend solutions together with the next-generation variable billing system based on its Obulus Platform for use in the CVA system.
"With CVA we have proved that we can be innovative when addressing our congestion challenges and we can be successful. In Valletta we needed to tackle the seemingly insurmountable challenge of sharing fairly between all those who wanted to come to town the very limited space there. Though certainly we need to look at how to refine the system and address new challenges that have emerged since the CVA was introduced, we have managed to find a system that has improved the lot for residents, shoppers and people working in Valletta too", commented Minister Austin Gatt. "The fact that we have a city that can now boast a larger, more attractive and more pleasant pedestrian area in its core is the first boost. But the CVA has also increased retail business in Valletta, justified the investment of the Park and Ride as an alternative to parking in town for employees and, very importantly, has brought about the first increase in public transport custom in 13 years as more commuters use the bus to come to work in Valletta than ever before. Technology is an important tool in acheiving these aims and the CVA has been an important step in this effort which we will be boosting in the coming months and years."
The Obulus Platform provides a next generation vehicular access control system for the CVA system in Valletta. Being the first operational variable charge billing system worldwide, Obulus can support thousands of transactions and enable cities to regain control over traffic, while helping the overall quality of life for its residents and road users.
About the CVA System
The CVA system was launched in Valletta on 1 May 2007, replacing an old system of annual licenses (the V-plate), with a state-of-the art charging system. An average of 80,000 unique vehicles now access Valletta every month, compared with a maximum of 33,000 of the former holders of the old V-licence, resulting in better utilisation of Valletta’s retail, commercial and historic places. The CVA system has markedly improved the availability of parking spaces in the city center, with vehicles staying on average for just 2.5 hours. The quality of the environment has also improved, with residents having fewer problems in accessing their homes, and shifting of thousands of vehicles and voyages to public transport and the Park and Ride system.
About Charonite Co. Ltd.
Charonite is an innovative technology venture that develops cutting edge software applications combining various technologies, creating new products and techniques and valuable Intellectual Property, specialising in the fields of Search Engine technology, Intelligent Transportation Systems and advanced computing clusters. Charonite also provides consultancy, SEO services and web analytics and online marketing solutions via its strategic partnerships and own solutions. The company’s software is in daily use by over 160,000 users.
