Multinational computing giant IBM is adding to its arsenal of blockchain patents with a new implementation to manage data and interactions for self-driving vehicles (SDVs). The patent was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 2. IBM — which has, according to the documents, previously filed extensive patents for various inventions related to autonomous cars — outlines that a blockchain system could effectively enhance SDV configurations by allowing for robust privacy and information validation. The context for prospective blockchain implementation would be a system wherein an SDV interacts and predicts the behavior of the drivers of …

Kazuhiro Tokita, representative director, board member and president at Japanese cryptocurrency exchange DeCurret, unveiled a new cryptocurrency payment system during a business presentation in Tokyo on March 27. Cointelegraph Japan reported on the presentation the same day. The new system would enable the Suica payment card issued by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Japan’s biggest railway company, to be topped-up with cryptocurrency. Still, the report points out that there are no concrete plans as of press time, and that JR East is only considering the implementation. Data released by the company shows that as of the end of …

Blockchain will be one of the technologies local Chinese authorities will leverage in an overhaul of local transport infrastructure, a government bulletin reported on March 25. New plans recently approved reference blockchain, in addition to other disruptive tools such as big data and the Internet of Things (IoT), as being useful for implementation in the Jiangsu Province, north of Shanghai. A multi-year project called the “Implementation Plan for the Promotion of Transportation Infrastructure Development” aims to update both passenger and freight networks to reduce pollution and increase efficiency. According to the bulletin, blockchain will feature in the area of logistics …

China's first blockchain-based electronic invoice for a subway ride was issued at the Futian Station of the Shenzhen Metro, local finance publication Securities Daily reports on March 18. Shenzhen is the first economic special zone in China. The e-invoice function is the jointly developed project of the Shenzhen Municipal Taxation Bureau and Chinese tech giant Tencent, which provided the blockchain technology back-up through its 1 billion user social media platform WeChat. As the publication states, after the end of each trip, the Shenzhen Metro passenger code can be seen on the WeChat Payment voucher page. It also underlines that as …

The main trade seaport of France, Marseille Fos Port, will participate in a blockchain pilot for freight logistics in June 2019, local industry news outlet PortSEurope reports on March 6. The project aims to use blockchain technology for supply chain logistics and intermodal freight forwarding on the Mediterranean-Rhône-Saône axis (MeRS) transport corridor. According to the report, the blockchain initiative is supported French authority, the Interministerial Delegation for the development of the port and logistics for MeRS. The project is also reportedly backed and supported financially by the French public sector financial institution Caisse des Dépôts, navigation authority Voies navigables de …

Ridesharing app Lyft has partnered with blockchain startup Solve.Care to tokenize healthcare-related transport arrangements. The development was announced in a press release from Solve.Care on March 4. Estonia-based Solve.Care is a decentralized, blockchain-powered platform that focuses on enhancing healthcare administration and access to healthcare services for users and insurers. The partnership with Lyft will allow Solve.Care users to schedule Lyft rides to doctors’ clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies, with automated payments using native utility token SOLVE via their Solve.Care digital wallets. Payment for rides can be shared with family, employers, insurers or other parties. The service will also allow patients to …

Russia’s national pension fund is settling an agreement with Russian Railways to use blockchain for tracking transport passengers that qualify for discounted services, Moscow-based news agency Rambler News Service (RNS) reports on March 1. Anton Drozdov, the head of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, revealed that the state-owned fund is expected to close the deal with Russian Railways, a government owned freight and passenger train services company, sometime in 2019. The new blockchain project intends to bring transparency to a system for monitoring users of discounted transport services, eliminating forgery and fraud, Drozdov explained while speaking in an …

United States automotive giant General Motors (GM) has become the latest member to join blockchain startup Spring Labs’ partner project to enhance data security, the company confirmed in a press release Feb. 11. GM, which has experimented with the technology before, will join the Spring Founding Industry Partners (SPIF) Program, which launched in January. Now with almost 20 participants, the scheme aims to address issues in data provenance through collaborative research. Spring Labs, as Cointelegraph reported, plans to release its first related products this year. “As the captive finance arm for General Motors and one of the world’s largest auto …

Argentinian state public transport card SUBE (Sistema Único de Boleto Electrónico) can now be topped up using Bitcoin (BTC), Cointelegraph in Spanish reported Friday, Feb. 8. Alto Viaje, a platform for adding money to SUBE cards, has partnered with Bitex, which provides blockchain-driven financial services to businesses. As a result of the partnership, the SUBE card can now be funded using BTC, via Alto Viaje’s website. Cointelegraph spoke to Manuel Beaudroit, CMO at Bitex, who said that SUBE — that can be used to travel by train, bus and subway — is used by over seven million people in 37 …

Major United Kingdom public transport provider Go-Ahead Group Plc. is partnering with blockchain startup DOVU to introduce a tokenized rewards system for rail customers, TechCrunch reported Feb. 1. Listed on the FTSE 250 — an index of the 101st to 350th largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange — Go-Ahead provides over one billion rail and bus journeys in the U.K. every year. As well as being the largest bus service operator in London, the Group’s services reportedly account for around 30 percent of all U.K. train passenger journeys. DOVU is now set to roll out its blockchain-based rewards …

German railway operator Deutsche Bahn AG (DB) has partnered with blockchain integration platform Unibright to examine the possibility of tokenizing its ecosystem. A press release revealed the partnership on Tuesday, Dec. 18. DB appointed Unibright to make preparations for an internal workshop, dedicated to the possible tokenization of the company’s assets. The railway giant, which is considered to be the largest in Europe, wants to find out whether decentralized solutions can cut operational costs and help DB interact with other members of the travel industry. Unibright developed a proof-of-concept (PoC) based on the idea that blockchain could connect different areas …

The national railway company of Switzerland has completed a proof of concept (PoC) of a “self-sovereign” blockchain-based identity management system, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph. Swiss Federal Railways’ (SBB) product was developed by Linum Labs, a Switzerland-based firm focused on building decentralized systems, deploying Ethereum-based identity management protocol uPort, which was developed in part by blockchain incubator ConsenSys. According to the release, tests of the blockchain-based credential management system – which is meant to be used by workers at the transport company’s construction sites – were carried out from May to November of this year. The project …