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.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Advances in real time traffic and travel information
    March 16, 2012
    David Crawford admires TomTom’s flying start to 2012. Gobal location and navigation equipment supplier TomTom rang in 2012 with two strategically important announcements. First was the signing of a deal with Korean electronics giant Samsung, representing an important consolidation of its position in the consumer market. Under this agreement, TomTom maps and location content will power the Samsung Wave3 smartphone, launched in autumn 2011. TomTom data will support navigation and search-and-find applications
  • Conscience versus convenience
    June 8, 2015
    David Crawford looks at new ways forward for public transport. By 2025, nearly 60% of the world’s population will be living in towns and cities, increasing their extent and density, and the journeys that people make within and between them. In response, the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) wants to see public transport’s global modal share doubling (PTx2) by the same date. “Success in 2025,” a spokesperson told ITS International, “will save 170 million tonnes of oil equivalent and 550
  • Canada looks to HOT lanes to tackle congestion
    March 16, 2017
    David Crawford sees an evidence-based approach to HOT lane conversions. Canada’s first high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes opened on 16 September 2016 as a pilot on a 16.5km section of existing high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes running in both directions along Toronto’s Queen Elizabeth Way. Promised in two recent budgets
  • Cubic’s NextBus Subsidiary seals real time bus arrival deal
    October 23, 2014
    Cubic Transportation Systems subsidiary NextBus is expanding its market with its first real-time passenger information systems (RTPIS) project outside North America, with TransLink, the public transportation provider in south east Queensland, Australia.