Unicard Smart Mobility: Covid recovery for the transport sector through micromobility data

This project is to develop and launch "Unicard Smart Mobility". It is an open transport data collection and visualisation platform and set of standards, designed to help Local Authorities (LA) adapt to the rapidly changing landscape of mobility in their cities. The need to develop more sustainable transport options to replace private cars has led to an explosion in "micromobility" providers -- like dockless bikes, e-Scooters, demand responsive transport and Electric Vehicle rentals. Covid-19 means this in now imperative, as many passengers are avoiding "traditional" forms of public transport like buses or trains where social distancing is harder to achieve, favouring instead individual, outdoor modes of transport like bikes and e-Scooters in particular.

However, introducing new forms of transport into an existing cityscape is complicated, and requires a delicate balance of policy making to ensure it does not cause more problems than it fixes. Using data to improve visibility of issues like increased traffic congestion, risks to pedestrian safety, street clutter, and a lack of affordable access is a key learning from other global cities who are further ahead of the UK in this area.

Our product is designed to solve these problems through the use of big data. It acts as a centralised hub to collect and store large amounts of real-time trip and asset (bikes, scooters etc.) data from a wide variety of private operators. The aggregated data can be accessed through our web-based visualisation tools, offering powerful historical reporting and policymaking data, as well as a real-time monitoring system that helps to ensure compliance with bike and scooter parking regulations or operating areas. Alternatively, the aggregated data is available for bulk export for use in other business intelligence and reporting tools, or for direct use inside customer-facing apps to show available transport options.

Use of our platform also promotes general innovation in the mobility marketplace, by making it simple to track data and gauge effectiveness when piloting new types of transport in a city.

As both passengers and government rush to increase use of new, untested forms of outdoor transport post-Covid, we see this as a vitally important opportunity to use data to ensure that the systems put in place work for everyone.