What provoked this selfie (and then pic of a selfie) with RideScout cofounder Joseph Kopser and operations VP Steve Carroll with DOT secretary Anthony Foxx? Because the DC company won the agency’s Data Innovation award Tuesday morning. This means the company has figured out how to make public transportation data useful. The company’s mobile app helps people get around using public and private transportation options. Joseph says DOT, like many government agencies, collects amazing amounts of data but it doesn’t move past storing it.
Joseph says RideScout is sharing that data with DOT and every interested municipality so they can decide on things like where to put new bike lanes or how to set up employer incentive programs. The goal is to reduce the amount of single occupancy vehicles on the road, which now stands at 76% of all cars on the road. The company, whose app is available in five major cities, will announce a major expansion this summer and will eventually start incorporating government weather data in its app. Joseph says the company is also incorporating more sharing options from ride and bike sharing to flexible car pool options.
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