Skip to main content

London leads on open transport data

London has come out on top of an analysis of the performance of several major cities in providing open data on transport and mapping. The Future Spaces Foundation, a charity that studies living spaces, has said in its Vital Cities: Transport Systems Scorecard that London’s record of providing open access to real time transport data is the best example of data sharing. The Scorecard analyses the transport networks of 12 cities around the world on indicators ranging from breathability to the density of
May 16, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
London has come out on top of an analysis of the performance of several major cities in providing open data on transport and mapping.

The Future Spaces Foundation, a charity that studies living spaces, has said in its Vital Cities: Transport Systems Scorecard that London’s record of providing open access to real time transport data is the best example of data sharing.

The Scorecard analyses the transport networks of 12 cities around the world on indicators ranging from breathability to the density of cycle and pedestrian networks to the use of data and apps.

London scored top marks for facilitating the creation of multi-modal apps with the open availability of its live transit feeds. But it came second to Singapore in converting data into the most user-friendly and informative travel apps.

The research found that there is still room for developers in London and elsewhere in the world to improve the services they offer by taking their lead from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority, which provides its own web and mobile based route planning tool and app. It includes features not yet available in London, such as information about standing and seating room on public transport, as well as disabled access and the availability of parking spaces close to the passenger’s chosen destination.

1466 Transport for London recently announce plans for the release of new groups of open data feeds, taking in the London Trams network and historical crowding data from the Underground.

In light of the research, the Future Spaces Foundation is calling on governments all over the world to implement effective open data policies that encourage everyone – including web and app developers, residents and tourists – to make use of the data available.

Related Content

  • May 18, 2020
    Car-free zones part of London 'reimagining'
    Parts of central London will become “one of the largest car-free zones in any capital city in the world”, according to the city’s mayor Sadiq Khan.
  • January 8, 2024
    How to overcome the technical and commercial challenges of MaaS
    The UK government has attempted to unleash the possibilities of MaaS with the publication of a code of practice. Alan Dron takes look at how it might help encourage implementation
  • November 10, 2015
    Benefits of traffic data sharing with app developers
    Timothy Compston finds out if exchanging traffic and road condition data with private app developers makes sense for both drivers and road authorities. Much has been said about the potential benefits for authorities in sharing data with traffic and navigation app developers, and receiving ‘crowdsourced’ information in return – so how is it working in practice?
  • July 7, 2017
    Bristol’s buses trial CycleEye detection system
    Fusion Processing’s Jim Hutchinson looks at a two-year trial of the company’s cyclist detection system. Is cycling in a city dangerous? Well, that depends where you are and how you view statistics. Malmö is far more bike-friendly than Mumbai and the risk can either be perceived as small - one death per 29 million miles cycled in the UK in 2013 - or large - that equated to 109 deaths in the same year. Whatever your personal take on the data, the effect of these accidents can be felt indirectly too. News of c