A new data platform called Shared Streets unites data gathered by Ford Motor Company, Uber and Lyft with the goal of improving mobility in cities while helping both private and public sectors to cut emissions, improve efficiency, and reduce urban dangers.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for business and government to work together to rethink transportation,” Jim Hackett, president and CEO of Ford, said. “Collaborating through initiatives such as Shared Streets will enable us to use vehicles, road systems and data together to create a new roadmap for mobility. We are working toward a future where all cities are smart and curb space is actively managed, increasing efficiency and safety while reducing driver stress and pollution.”
While the three private companies took the lead on data sharing, they were united in cooperation by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), the Open Transport Partnership and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Accordingly, city mayors will benefit through this partnership, being given greater access to road traffic data to inform city planning and investment decisions.
The platform is already operating in more than 30 cities around the world. Its ultimate goal is to lead to a universal data standard for pricing curb space in real time, create the world’s first freely available global data set of vehicle driving speeds, and establish a universal framework for sharing data about where for-hire vehicles are most in demand. Such data sharing efforts have already been endorsed by 74 cities and transit agencies in North America as well as several global cities.