Mobility Data Standards: What They Are & How to Implement Them

As private shared mobility services—from e-scooter to ridesharing and food delivery operations—continue to proliferate, it is clear that they represent an ever increasing portion of travel in the public right-of-way. Access to data from mobility services is essential for public agencies to make informed policy and planning decisions that reduce congestion, expand equitable access, and limit the environmental impacts of transportation in cities. While private mobility operators may also desire to serve societal goals, it is public agencies that carry ultimate responsibility—and they require information delivered in a standardized format to chart the path forward.

In this paper, we provide an overview of all existing and forthcoming mobility data standards, what they aim to do, and three major conditions for their successful implementation by US and EU cities.