Uber Agrees To Share Trip Data With Boston
BOSTON (AP) — Uber has reached an agreement with Boston to share information about the trips passengers take using its on-demand service, officials said Wednesday, a turnaround for a company that in the past has been reluctant to hand over data to government regulators.
Starting in about two weeks, Uber says it will provide Boston with the distance and time passengers travelled using the ride-hailing service, as well as general pick up and drop off locations. The San Francisco-based company promises the information, which will be provided quarterly, will be anonymous and protect drivers' and passengers' personal information.
Meghan Joyce, general manager of Uber Boston, says the data can help city officials prioritize street repairs, adjust traffic light patterns and focus transit investments.
"The implications of this are just endless," she said.
Jascha Franklin-Hodge, the city's chief information officer, says the information will also help on a range of planning and development decisions.
Uber, which has fought other government requests for similar data, says it hopes to reach similar agreements with other U.S. cities.
Uber is in a court battle with the California Public Utilities Commission over trip data. The agency made submitting the data a condition of approving ride-hailing services, which generally allow users to request and pay for a car service through their cellphones. Uber has refused to turn over the data even as competitors Lyft and Sidecar have.
In New York, Uber recently rebuffed a request by the city's Taxi & Limousine Commission for trip data, citing privacy concerns. Joyce, of Uber, declined to address the New York and California disputes, but said the company is in talks with many cities and states about data sharing.
Uber's agreement with Boston also comes as city and state officials are looking to impose new regulations on ride-hailing services. The state has proposed requiring rideshare companies obtain state operations certificates and conduct criminal background checks on drivers, among other things. The City Council, meanwhile, has held public hearings and Mayor Martin Walsh has formed an advisory committee.
Franklin-Hodge says Boston's transportation department, neighborhood development department and redevelopment authority will initially have access to Uber's trip data. But he said the information could also be shared with other city agencies.
Boston police have sought more information from ridesharing companies in light of recent assaults on passengers. A local Uber driver faces rape, kidnapping and assault and battery charges after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he had picked up in Boston. Taxis already provide more detailed ride data to Boston police, which oversees that industry.
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