62: The latest on the war over micromobility data - a conversation with David Zipper

This week Oliver interviews journalist David Zipper again (following his appearance on Episode 32) about the latest in the war over mobility data that is being played out between cities and shared micromobility operators. David Zipper is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government, where he examines the interplay between urban policy and new mobility technologies. From 2013 to 2017 David was the Managing Director for Smart Cities and Mobility at 1776, a global entrepreneurial hub with over 1,300 member startups and is still a Partner in the 1776 Seed Fund and consults with startups including Optibus, Tortoise, and TransitScreen to help shape their regulatory strategies. David has written a number of articles in Slate, CityLab, Fast Company and The Atlantic covering, among other things, the rise and ongoing saga of the Mobility Data Specification which we see as one of the building blocks to supercharge micromobility’s growth, and underpin the future operating systems for mobility in our cities. In this episode, we dig into: - A recap of the Mobility Data Specifications, and why it is significant to cities and why micromobility is really the thin edge of the wedge when it comes to important data from shared mobility operators. - The latest in the battle over real-time data requirements vs privacy advocates, and the players on each side. - More details on the Uber <> LADOT stoush. - The development of the Open Mobility Foundation in the last 6 months, how taking the standard out of the LADOT has impacted adoption/development and the politics of the board members. - The impact of Europe’s massive growth in micromobility, their pursuit of differing standards, and whether MDS has any value to add there. - Why the slow progress on these standards has created gaps that are being filled by startups, including Iomob and Token Transit. (Disclosure: Oliver and David advise them respectively)