APRIL 27, 2021 — The Urban Freight Lab (UFL) is pleased to announce the addition of new member Automotus, a Los Angeles-based software company that provides cities with video analytics technology to monitor and manage their curbspace.
Automotus uses computer vision (video analytics) to automate all aspects of curb management: collecting data, sharing live availability data, automating parking payment, and enforcement.
“Automotus is one of the leading curb management technology companies in the U.S., and we are very pleased to have them join the Urban Freight Lab,” said Andisheh Ranjbari, Urban Freight Lab Manager. “Bringing in curb technology providers enriches our efforts in improving the efficiency of commercial vehicles at the curb and within the final 50 feet of delivery.”
With increased demand for the curb from goods delivery, ridehailing, shared micromobility, and curbside pickup, cities are revising and reimagining how they manage their limited space. Technology providers play an essential role in providing data on usage, digitizing curb assets and regulations, and enabling reservation systems.
As a member of the UFL, “we’ll be able to collaborate and learn from some of the world’s largest fleet operators to come up with solutions that help them operate more efficiently,” said Jordan Justus, Automotus CEO. “Our work won’t stop there: the insights we gain alongside our UFL partners will help us scale the offerings and reach of Automotus, with the goal of making efficient curbside management an ubiquitous feature of cities everywhere.”
Automotus’ technology is now being deployed in a current Urban Freight Lab study, monitoring and analyzing street and curb usage patterns in and around downtown Bellevue.
Automotus joins some of the largest players in transportation and logistics—carriers and shippers PepsiCo, UPS, and United States Postal Service; retailers Amazon and Nordstrom; infrastructure and operations technology provider REEF; real estate corporation Terreno Realty; and vehicle and vehicle part manufacturers Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and Michelin. The UFL is focused on finding solutions to urban goods delivery problems through collaboration between the public and private sectors, in the strategic research areas of the Final 50 Feet, Sustainable Freight, Curbspace Management, Zero Emissions Freight, and Modeling Freight Activity.
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About the Urban Freight Lab (UFL): The Urban Freight Lab is a structured partnership of academic researchers, public sector agencies, and private sector firms — shippers, retailers, tech providers, property owners, and manufacturers — working collaboratively to identify complex urban freight management problems and design solutions to make industry more efficient and cities more livable and sustainable.