Skip to main content

Detroit pilots new data standard for dockless mobility

Several organisations are coming together in Detroit, US, to pilot a new tool to analyse mobility data for dockless bikes and scooters. The aim is to allow urban authorities which work with dockless mobility providers to share and analyse trip data, including trip origins and destinations, neighbourhood availability, travel times and usage. This should give them the chance to allocate street space to sustainable transportation, improve safety and provide more equal access to transport services. Detroit M
November 16, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Several organisations are coming together in Detroit, US, to pilot a new tool to analyse mobility data for dockless bikes and scooters.


The aim is to allow urban authorities which work with dockless mobility providers to share and analyse trip data, including trip origins and destinations, neighbourhood availability, travel times and usage.

This should give them the chance to allocate street space to sustainable transportation, improve safety and provide more equal access to transport services.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and SharedStreets made the announcement, and will be using scooter data provided by Bird and Lime.

SharedStreets will lead the work to establish what it calls “an open-source data ecosystem that allows cities and companies to work from consistent transportation datasets while rigorously protecting personal privacy”.

“In just one year, scooters have completely transformed mobility,” says Duggan. “In Detroit, we took a forward-looking view on this new option to understand how it could make it easier for Detroiters to get around. Our next step is to use data to better inform our decisions, whether it’s providing more mobility options in more neighbourhoods or making sure scooters aren’t blocking the right of way.’”

“Our cities are open to new forms of transportation, but the public sector needs the data on how the public gets around,” said Seleta Reynolds, president of NACTO.

278 Ford Motor Company, 8336 Uber and 8789 Lyft agreed last month to %$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 36955 0 link-external share data false /categories/utc/news/ford-uber-and-lyft-to-share-data-through-sharedstreets/ false false%> through the SharedStreets platform, saying that such partnerships “give cities unparalleled access to data, allowing them to make better planning and investment decisions”.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IBTTA CEO: Industry can help solve climate crisis
    October 4, 2019
    IBTTA CEO Pat Jones has invoked the example of climate change protestor Greta Thunberg to insist that the tolling industry can help tackle global environmental concerns. Speaking at the IBTTA’s annual meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Jones said that members have the power to help arrest what the United Nations calls a “worsening climate crisis”. The event in Canada saw IBTTA members talking about decarbonising transport, the importance of eco-routes and sustainable mobility as ways of ensuring they re
  • Kirk Steudle nominated to receive IRF Man of the Year award
    December 3, 2018
    Kirk Steudle, former director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDoT), has been nominated to receive the IRF Man of the Year award. Established in 1951, IRF's Man (Woman) of the Year award recognises public, private and education sector professionals with an outstanding track record of leadership and commitment to the road transport industry. Abdullah A. Al-Mogbel, chairman, IRF, says: "This accolade crowns an exceptional career and a highly respected voice on innovation in transportation, at
  • European Transport Conference looks at developments in public transport
    September 3, 2015
    This year’s European Transport Conference, which takes place on 28-30 September in Frankfurt, Germany, will look at the latest research and developments in local public transport across Europe and beyond. Delegates will also have the opportunity to take part in an afternoon visit to see the public transport system in Offenbach, a small city close to Frankfurt. With the UK moving towards a regulated environment, the conference will discuss the legal and economic framework and how this will work as other
  • Trump calls on Congress to produce $1.5tn bill for infrastructure
    February 1, 2018
    President Donald Trump has announced a plan in his State of Union to push Congress to approve a $1.5tn (£1.05tn) scheme which he described will “build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways across our land.” A report from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association revealed that 54,259 of the nation’s bridges are rated structurally deficient with Americans crossing them 174 million times a day. The president added that every Federal dollar should be leveraged by