Boston made ridesharing history Tuesday, inking a “first-of-its-kind” deal with Uber to utilize the progressive yet controversial tech company’s data.
Uber announced its deal with the City in a Tuesday morning blog post, stating that the data the rideshare company has agreed to share will be used to “provide new insights to help manage urban growth, relieve traffic congestion, expand public transportation, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Mayor Marty Walsh offered the following statement:
In Boston, data is driving our conversations, our policy making and how we envision the future of our city. We are using data to change the way we deliver services and we welcome the opportunity to add to our resources. This will help us reach our transportation goals, improve the quality of our neighborhoods and allow us to think smarter, finding more innovative and creative solutions to some of our most pressing challenges.
Both rider and driver data will be shared, Uber writes in its blog, adding that the data will be “compiled in a manner that protects the privacy of riders and drivers.” Specifically, Uber will share anonymized trip-level data by ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA), a.k.a., “the U.S. Census’ geographical representation of zip codes.”
Update: Dave Sutton, a spokesperson for “Who’s Driving You,” a campaign looking to raise awareness about the potential dangers of hailing Uber rides, has issued the following statement:
Uber shared its data with Boston to get what it wants: special rules to operate there. Uber originally gave trip details to New York City too during its trial phase—now refuses to do so despite the need to protect passengers. Ultimately, Uber will refuse to furnish Boston with ongoing trip data—after it gets what it wants.
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Earlier:
Here’s a list of other resources Uber says it’s offering:
- Timestamp including the date & time for the beginning of a trip
- ZCTA in which trip began (pick-up)
- ZCTA in which trip ended (drop-off)
- Distance traveled during trip, in miles
- Duration of trip, in seconds
- Technical support to interpret and utilize the data
- Support for Vision Zero and other transportation safety initiatives
Related:
Jules Polonetsky, the director and co-chair of the future of privacy forum, said in a statement: “Local regulators often demand and receive granular trip records from taxi and car service providers. It’s great to see Uber taking a more privacy friendly approach by providing ZIP code level records, which can be just as useful for city planning purposes but which help maintain individual privacy.”
Uber says the data provides Boston – and other cities – valuable urban planning and overall transportation resources, without compromising privacy.”Smart Cities can benefit from smart data and we will champion municipal efforts devoted to achieving data-driven urban growth, mobility and safety for communities.”
Screengrabs via Uber.
