Cities benefit from open dockless data
By: Tom Lee
Washington, DC just extended its dockless bike and scooter pilot, in part because feedback on the program is positive. DC’s program is remarkable not only for the warm reception it has received but for the open data provisions it has built in: participating companies are required to provide the public with APIs that show vehicle locations in the standard GBFS format. They’re also required to provide officials with ridership information through anonymized trips to help them plan a more integrated transportation system.
Other cities should consider similar requirements as they figure out their dockless futures: it’s not just about how people use the bikes and scooters, but about how the data gets used, too.
Some credit for this idea belongs to the District Department of Transportation’s work on Capital Bikeshare (CaBi), a dock-based network that launched in 2011 and which still dwarfs the volume of dockless trips. CaBi’s commitment to open data has empowered the analyses of area transportation planners (including their work on dockless bikes); made it easy for businesses to integrate the system into their products; and spurred a surprisingly enduring wave of urbanist hacking (DC Bikeshare Hack Night recently celebrated its eighth installment, with more than a few Mapboxers in attendance).
Compliance with the DC dockless program’s data mandate is still a little spotty, with JUMP leading the way and other operators providing varying levels of openness and polish. But we’re confident they’ll all get there eventually, creating advocates, integrations, and riders in the same way that CaBi’s open data program has.
We provide cities with free tools to work with open geodata. Reach out to our team to learn more about our Cities program.
