Most people in the transport and mobility sector will not have heard of the term “Smart Data”. This is understandable, as there are a lot of other data related terms being used right now, so this newer one may have slipped under the proverbial radar.

‘Smart Data’ is the secure sharing of customer data with authorised third-party providers (TPPs) and at the customer’s request. This data is usually stored in online accounts that customers own and manage (e.g. an online banking account, an online utility account or an online train ticket account). These third-party providers then use this shared data to provide innovative services for personal or business use.

The most popular example of Smart Data is Open Banking, introduced via legislation in January 2018. Back then it forced the UK’s nine biggest banks (HSBC, Barclays, RBS, Santander, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Bank, Danske, Lloyds and Nationwide) to allow data they held online to be shared with authorised organisations in a secure, standardised form.

More recently the UK Government has set its sights on creating an entire Smart Data economy, to make data more sharable across UK industry. Their aim being to put users more in control of their own data and unlock growth.

This has resulted in the publication of the Smart Data Roadmap in April 2024, which sets out a consistent approach to identifying the opportunities and challenges for implementing Smart Data schemes for energy, finance, home buying, retail, telecommunications and transport. With the aim that government will use the powers of the planned Data Protection and Digital Information Bill to introduce these schemes into their respective sectors.

So what does this mean for Transport & Mobility?

The complete adoption of Smart Data across our sector would lead to Open Banking-like functionality introduced on some or all transport & mobility operators.

More practically this could result in:

• True portability of user transport data (e.g. usage, concession, etc.) between different accounts
• Transport ticket retailers allowing customers to integrate their stored data with third parties (e.g. other online accounts, so that a consolidated view of all purchase could be presented)
• A host of different add-on services entering the market (in the same way as the FinTech sector provides loads of addition services for bank account users)
• The secure transferring & sharing of funds & other credit between accounts (e.g. ABT & MaaS applications) managed by the same user.

For example, this would mean linking trains, airlines, and vehicle data to enable apps that could automatically claim for redress following delays or enable consumers to track their carbon footprint.

In fact, this transport use case was specifically mentioned in the September 2020 UK Government report: “Next steps for Smart Data. Putting consumers and SMEs in control of their data and enabling innovation”.

When will the UK Government introduce Smart Data to our sector?

The Smart Data Roadmap has 4 different maturity phases for the complete introduction of sector-specific schemes: 1. Identification; 2. Consultation; 3. Design; and 4. Implementation.

Some examples include:

• Open Banking is at “Phase 4”, as was introduced via legislation and fully mobilised by the Open Banking Implementation Entity [OBIE] several years ago, resulting in the secure sharing of bank account data via Application Programming Interfaces [APIs].

• Open Telecommunications is currently at “Phase 2” as the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has published a consultation and Impact Assessment to examine is a Smart Data scheme would be right for the UK telecommunications market.

But the transport & mobility sector is currently languishing behind at “Phase 1” in the roadmap, as it is still very much in the identification stage for Smart Data.

On a side note, although the Smart Data Roadmap mentions the Department for Transport’s Transport Data Strategy, published in March 2023, as providing input on this topic, that document has no actual mention of the term “Smart Data”. It also has only loosely-worded data sharing actions such as “exploring solutions on secure data sharing”, which have made no progress in the last year and half where account data is concerned.

The next steps for Smart Data in Transport now sit with DfT to progress. These steps include:

• Taking forward discovery work to develop transport use cases for Smart Data.
• Using the outcomes of the discovery to shape the evidence for a Call for Evidence in Autumn 2024, along with potential questions.
• Publishing further detail on the opportunities for Smart Data in the transport sector in 2025.

It is therefore not possible to say how quickly the DfT will progress with these steps. In fact, it is not even clear whether the UK’s newly elected Government will fully support and continue the work set out in the Smart Data Roadmap. But hopefully they will and ideally much faster than the last administration.

How do you find out more about transport and Smart Data?

The Open Transport Initiative was set-up in 2019 to drive forward the adoption of “Open Banking” data sharing practices across the sector. Their aim has been to engage with providers, authorities and government to support the uniform & standardised implementation of Smart Data in Transport & Mobility.

This work even includes the creation & publication of Open Standard (free to use) APIs, which should help vendors and developers deliver the technical changes needed. They are therefore willing to discuss the benefits, integrations and processes involved in meeting the opportunity that Smart Data can bring.

If you would like to join or know more about the work of the Open Transport Initiative, please contact them directly via email or the button below: contact@opentransport.co.uk.