Free data on means of transport: government sends law to Bundestag
Up-to-date data on all modes of transport and their infrastructure, such as filling stations and construction sites, should make it easier to move forward.
The Mobility Data Act is on track.
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Transport operators will have to make current and historical data freely available. This is provided for in the draft Mobility Data Act, which the German government is now submitting to the Bundestag. Not only buses and trains, but also cabs and Uber, parking space providers, construction site operators, vehicle rental systems (car sharing, electric scooters and bicycles) and charging stations for electric cars, as well as petrol stations, will be covered. Although there are already various obligations to publish data, it has been shown that these are often inconsistent and difficult to access, says the Federal Ministry of Transport.
"With the Mobility Data Act, we are paving the way for the free availability of traffic data and creating the basis for innovative, sustainable mobility solutions," Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) explains. "Considering the forecasts that traffic in our country will continue to increase, we must use data wisely to optimize transport and use our existing infrastructures as efficiently as possible. From real-time information on public transportation, construction sites, charging infrastructure to the availability of sharing services – all of this data will now be uniform and easily accessible."
Those who fail to deliver will be fined
The data may be used by anyone for commercial and non-commercial purposes. This should encourage innovative services and also help to reduce CO2 emissions. Nothing has changed compared to the draft bill for the Mobility Data Act, according to a statement from the Ministry of Transport.
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To ensure that this all works, the law provides for a new, independent authority to enforce the obligation to provide data: the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (BALM). Four posts with personnel costs of 360,137 euros per year are to suffice for this purpose. The fines range up to 10,000 euros.
In addition, there will be a federal coordinator for mobility data with 22 posts. Data suppliers and recipients are to receive technical and specialist support there. The annual personnel costs are budgeted at 2.4 million euros. The aim is to link German data across borders, at least with other EU countries.
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