Smart Mobility in Finland
Open APIs and Mobility as a Service
The Finnish Government recently passed a new Act on Transport Services that sets out that essential data on transport services should be made open. All transport providers are required to provide access via open APIs to information on timetables, routes, ticket prices as well as real-time location data. The legislation will enter into force on 1 July 2018, with the provisions relating to the introduction of intelligent transport systems linked to the EU ITS Directive entering into force on 1 October 2017, and those on the interoperability of data and information systems on 1 January 2018.
With this, the Finnish government setting regulatory conditions to boost the implementation of new technology and business concepts. The Act is part of the more comprehensive Transport Code project and represents a step forward in Finland's vision of providing "Mobility as a Service" and creating a digital future for mobility that relies on the interoperability of data and open interfaces. More information on the legislative act as well as on how this will provide the country with a competitive edge in Europe is available here.
The areas of mobility and transport and their interconnection with Open Data is also one of the topics highlighted by the most recent European Open Data Portal Report on "Open Data in Cities" published on June 6th. The analytical report - the second on this topic and the sixth of the series - is now available for download on the European Open Data Portal.