I emphasized the fact that a number of American cities currently have private service providers such as uberHOP, Lyft and Bridj, to name only a few. The arrival of those providers on the market may lead to a cannibalization of our clientele. Those people set up shop around very lucrative routes. I am not saying that's a bad thing, but there should at least be some coordination between what those companies are doing and what public transit authorities are doing.
Streets are public goods. So anyone who wants to be involved in the business of transporting people should share their data, so as to enable the public authority to improve its transportation system.
I don't think we can ignore those new players. They must be seen not as adversaries, but as providers of complementary services for the last few kilometres that are sometimes difficult to cover using public transportation.
Data must be shared if we are to successfully work together. However, those kinds of businesses are jealously guarding their data at this time. If we want to provide a transportation service that is efficient and effective, we need to exchange information with those private businesses.