Honda begins trials of anti-traffic jam app in Jakarta

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Japanese auto maker Honda started testing a trial version of its Android app in Indonesia yesterday, in an effort to reduce traffic jams in the country. The company distributed the app to 100 people including Jakarta police officers and local Honda employees. They will collect feedback after a three-month public road test.

Jakarta is known for its heavy traffic since the country’s economy and car usage has been growing rapidly. Prior to this trial, Honda deployed the app on 14 cars which usually run on expressways in Indonesia, conducting tests from September of 2012 to February of 2013. The test yielded positive results in terms of improving traffic, potentially delaying a traffic jam by six minutes in some cases.

Takamasa Koshizen, the project leader at the Honda Research Institute, explains:

The app encourages a driver not to accelerate or decelerate suddenly, thus helping other drivers maintain almost same speed and keeping traffic clogging up.

In addition to improving the flow of traffic, if you drive according to the app’s instructions, you can save more than 20% on fuel consumption. Jakarta police expect that the app may also help people drive in a better manner. Honda is planning to integrate the app with its interactive intelligent car navigation system, Inter Navi.

(Via Nikkei IT Pro)