Mohammed Hikmet and Dean Zabrieszach represented HMI at the the International Transport Forum in Leipzig Germany. New Zealand has the Presidency for this year and New Zealand’s Minister of Transport, Simon Bridges, opened the forum where Transport, Trade and Tourism “Mobility for a Connected World” was the theme.

The International Transport Forum is an intergovernmental organisation which now includes 57 member countries. It acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises the Annual Summit of transport ministers. The ITF is the only global body covering all transport modes. ITF aims to help governments develop transport policies that improve people’s lives, by fostering a deeper understanding of the role of transport in economic growth, environmental sustainability and social inclusion and to raise the public profile of transport policy.

The Forum this year touched on big data, tourism and sustainability, addressing how autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles will lead to more efficient use of roads, with the possibility that autonomous vehicles may mean the private car becomes redundant. Simon Bridges championed the benefits of Intelligent Transport Systems and technology and also aimed to achieve greater libralisation of aviation rules to benefit New Zealand, read his press release on the ITF here>>

With Minister Bridges representing New Zealand, its is a great opportunity to engage the World’s Transport Ministers in topics that are vital to New Zealand and the world. With Mohammed and Dean showcasing HMI and RouteTIP they are establishing relationships and meeting industry leaders as we continue to gain greater exposure and begin trials of our world leading ITS technology.