Populus Helps Cities Access Data for 20 Million Micromobility Trips in 1 Year
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - September 25, 2019 - Populus, the industry-leading platform for cities to manage shared bikes, scooters, and cars, has delivered data for over 20 million trips to transportation agencies since launching their mobility management platform just one year ago.
With the explosion of shared transportation services across the globe, cities are now seeking digital solutions that help public agencies coordinate with private mobility operators. Private fleets, such as shared scooters, gather large amounts of data about when, where, and how people are traveling.
Populus helps cities securely and effectively use this information to influence key transportation planning and policy decisions, such as where to place new scooter parking areas and protected lanes for safer streets. In Arlington County, staff installed seven new on-street scooter parking corrals that they are now monitoring using the Populus platform.
This 20M trip milestone is a testament to the rapid pace of change in the transportation world and to the urgent need for private operators and public agencies to partner together to deliver more sustainable transportation in cities.In just one year, Populus has delivered mobility data in more than 50 cities around the world for 20 million trips. A few key statistics about this wealth of data that is now being used for city planning:
Almost 21 million miles traveled on shared devices, including shared cars
83% of trips were taken on scooters (16.7 million trips total)
17% of trips were taken on bikes (3.5 million trips total)
A few of the top cities using the Populus platform to manage and evaluate electric scooter programs include Indianapolis, with 1.6 million trips; Oakland, with 2.2 million trips; and Dallas, with 3.8 million trips. Each of these cities averaged over 5,000 trips per day, with Dallas averaging close to 10,000 daily trips.
A recent report from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) found that use of micromobility services such as shared scooters and bikes is on the rise. Riders in the U.S took 84 million shared micromobility trips in 2018, and almost 48 million of those trips were made on newer forms of micromobility, including shared bikes without docking stations and shared electric scooters. Now, through Populus, cities can easily and securely obtain better information about where shared vehicles are parked and where rides are taking place.
“The millions of trips analyzed through our platform are providing cities with greater visibility into how these new transportation options are being used,” said Regina Clewlow, CEO and Co-Founder of Populus. “We’re committed to empowering cities and operators to partner together to help shared mobility services grow in a way that maximizes their potential benefits to deliver improved safety, equitable access, and sustainability.”
About Populus
Populus is a platform that helps cities and private mobility operators deliver safe, equitable, and efficient streets through better data and analytics. Trusted by leading cities and the world's largest mobility operators, the Populus platform securely delivers data from shared services (carsharing, ride-hailing, bikeshare and scooters) for urban planners to manage and plan for the future of transportation.
Built by industry veterans with PhDs in transportation and city planning from UC Berkeley and MIT, the Populus team has spent the past decade delivering research, data, and software solutions to public agencies. Their team combines a wealth of experience building solutions for the public sector at Autodesk, Motivate (acquired by Lyft), and the World Bank. Populus is committed to serving as an essential bridge for cities and private mobility operators to work seamlessly together for a better transportation future.