Helsinki pushes off with data study on e-scooter services for sustainable mobility

Helsinki has launched a data experiment into the use of e-scooters and bike sharing, in order to understand how micro-mobility services are used in the city. The experiment is expected to show how this kind of data could support the development of safe and sustainable mobility. The experiment will be conducted in co-operation between French company Vianova, micro-mobility operators, the city’s innovation company Forum Virium Helsinki, and the City of Helsinki. Vianova’s solution is based on the MDS (Mobility Data Specification) communication protocol, which facilitates bilateral and secure exchange of data between mobility providers and cities. Aggregated and anonymised mobility data will be shown on a dashboard, giving an overview of how, when and where the e-scooters, city bikes and other light vehicles are used and parked in Helsinki. “The goal is to better understand micro-mobility in Helsinki, and to experiment with new ways of analysing e-scooter and other micro-mobility use. We want to see what this kind of new mobility data can offer to planners and how it can support safe and sustainable multimodality,” says Janne Rinne, project manager at Forum Virium Helsinki. Vianova’s work and solution is part of Jätkäsaari Mobility Lab, an initiative facilitating experimentation with smart mobility solutions in a real-world urban environment. Vianova’s data experiment was selected from several proposals received through an open call for agile pilots. “Vianova is particularly excited to pilot its city solution in the mobility innovation hub of Helsinki. We believe, together with the City of Helsinki and Forum Virium, that municipalities need to have better access to data and tools to make more data-driven decisions on transportation policies and urban planning. This will be particularly relevant in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis, in order to promote sustainable mobility solutions,” says Thibault Castagne, CEO of Vianova. The project will also involve major e-scooter companies and other micro-mobility providers operating in Helsinki. The city’s bike system operator will also collaborate on the project, which has already started and will run until October 2020. “Helsinki’s objective is to be a place for innovative companies to develop and test their solutions in order to create business opportunities, to learn from the experiments and to generate new services for residents,” said Juho Kostiainen, the City of Helsinki’s project manager for Jätkäsaari Mobility Lab. The next call for innovative mobility solutions is open until mid-August. Information about the open call is available on the Jätkäsaari Mobility Lab website. Photo: Vesa Laitinen