INIT SE
{{Short description|Public transport technology company based in Karlsruhe, Germany}}
{{Infobox company
| name = INIT
| logo = Init logo.svg
| logo_size = 100px
| image = INIT Firmengebaeude Karlsruhe.jpg
| image_caption = Headquarters in Karlsruhe
| type = Societas Europaea
| ISIN = DE0005759807
| industry = Technology
| founded = 1983
| founder = Gottfried Greschner
| hq_location_city = Karlsruhe
| hq_location_country = Germany
| website = {{official url}}
}}
INIT Innovation in Traffic Systems SE is a German technology company serving the public transport market, based in Karlsruhe. The company was founded in 1983 by Gottfried Greschner, developing on his research on intelligent transportation systems at the University of Karlsruhe. INIT opened a North American subsidiary in Chesapeake, Virginia, in 1999, and has expanded to serve clients in the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania. The company provides software, hardware, and services for multiple functions in the public transport sector, including dispatching and service planning, ticketing and fare collection, and intelligent transportation systems.
History
INIT was founded in 1983 by Dr. Gottfried Greschner, as a spinoff from the University of Karlsruhe. The company initially focused on bus fleet management, and expanded into other information technology services for the public transport industry.{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.initse.com/ende/company/history/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=INIT SE}}
INIT expanded into North America in the late 1990s. The company presented a demonstration of its intelligent transportation systems technology in 1997 in Akron, Ohio, and opened an office in Chesapeake, Virginia in 1999.{{Cite news |last=Messina |first=Debbie |date=2000-03-09 |title=Chesapeake: German company makes first major U.S. sale of bus equipment |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=EC90AF7FBEE346FC92D9630597950A29&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EAFF1EEE61ECA01 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-10-05 |work=The Virginian-Pilot |page=D1 |pages= |via=NewsBank |issn=}}{{Cite news |last=Byard |first=Katie |date=1997-05-27 |title=Akron buses to control traffic lights in this test: If they're running behind schedule, they'll keep signal green |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=EC90AF7FBEE346FC92D9630597950A29&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB6C02EE120AD74 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-10-05 |work=Akron Beacon Journal |page=A1 |pages= |via=NewsBank}}
Products
INIT provides hardware, software, and services for the public transport industry. The company's products include ticket machines, passenger information systems, and computer-aided dispatch systems.
In addition to its hardware and software products, the company also provides integration services. An example of this is the REGIOMOVE platform for the {{Interlanguage link|Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund|de}}, where INIT contributed to the development of a unified mobile app for regional public transport services in Karlsruhe.{{Cite web |date=2018-03-05 |title=Karlsruhe's RegioMOVE project has secured a booking platform |url=https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-news/65752/karlsruhe-regiomove-booking-platform/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |work=Intelligent Transport}}
{{Multiple image
| image1 = Hop Fastpass card reader inside a TriMet bus (2018).jpg
| caption1 = PROXmobile 3 card reader for the Hop Fastpass ticketing system, Portland, Oregon, USA
| direction = horizontal
| align = center
| image2 = Next Stop Sign (3976736460).jpg
| caption2 = PIDmobil 3 passenger information display, installed in a TransLink bus in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| image3 = Init.JPG
| caption3 = Mobile data terminal installed in a Regionalverkehr Alb-Bodensee bus
| header = INIT products
}}
Locations
INIT has its head office is in Karlsruhe, in the southern German state of Baden-Württemberg. The company has 6 additional offices in Germany, and 7 locations elsewhere in Europe. The North American headquarters are in Chesapeake, Virginia, and the company also has offices in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand.{{Cite web |title=About INIT |url=https://www.initse.com/ende/company/about-init/ |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=INIT SE}}
References
{{Reflist}}