Open Data in motion

Toward personalized mobility

The open data shift in transport began in 2005. The creation of the GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) format by Google and TriMet in Portland, USA, enabled the sharing of public transit schedules. In 2009, Transport for London opened its data on timetables, traffic, and disruptions - enabling developers to build innovative services for users. 

By 2010, the movement was gaining momentum. Cities across the globe followed suit, and national open data portals began to emerge. This led to an explosion of mobility apps - route planners, real-time traffic, carpooling, bike-sharing. Familiar players like Citymapper, Moovit, and Transit were born. 

This decade also saw the rise of Mobility as a Service (MaaS), integrating all transportation modes into a single app with unified booking and payment. In 2016, Helsinki led the way with Whim, an app that lets users plan and pay for any trip. MaaS embodies fluid, multimodal, and personalized mobility. 

The impact of open data would not have been as profound without the smartphone revolution from 2010 onward. These personal mobility hubs enable users to check timetables, track real-time traffic, buy tickets, or rent a bike with just a few taps. This technological convergence ushered in the era of augmented mobility: more autonomous, proactive, and adaptive.

A new paradigm

Before open data, mobility operated on a top-down model: operators designed the service, and users followed. Open data reverses this logic. Mobility experiences now adapt to individual needs and preferences, empowering users in their journeys.

New practices such as intermodality and shared mobility have emerged, along with growing expectations for real-time information, seamless travel, and high-quality user experiences.