How Intelligent Transport Systems Evolved Over 35 Years, According to Ertico's Didier Gorteman

Intelligent Transport Systems have gone through a major transformation over the past three and a half decades, shifting from an early focus on connecting individual vehicles to a much broader effort aimed at linking entire mobility ecosystems. That evolution is the central theme as Ertico marks its 35th anniversary, with Chief Finance and Operations Officer Didier Gorteman reflecting on how the field has changed since its earliest days.

According to Gorteman, the journey began with ideas that were largely centered on vehicle-to-vehicle communication and discrete technical applications. Over time, the emphasis widened, and the industry started to think in terms of interconnected networks in which vehicles, infrastructure, data platforms and users all participate. What was once a narrow engineering discipline has become a framework for coordinating transport across cities, regions and services.

That shift matters because today’s mobility debates — from real-time traffic management to electric and shared transport — depend on systems that can talk to one another rather than operate in isolation. Ertico’s 35-year perspective suggests that the sector’s biggest gains have come not from any single technology, but from the gradual move toward interoperability and ecosystem-wide thinking.

Gorteman’s retrospective also points to the role of sustained collaboration among public authorities, industry players and researchers. Building intelligent transport has required long-term coordination, standards work and a willingness to adapt as digital tools matured. The next chapter is expected to build on that foundation, as connected and increasingly automated mobility places even greater demands on integrated systems.

For those watching the micromobility, EV and software-defined vehicle spaces, the lesson is that progress in transport technology is cumulative. The ideas that seemed experimental decades ago now underpin everyday services, and the current push toward connected ecosystems is a continuation of a process Ertico has been part of since its founding.