New Software Strives to Increase Commuter Engagement and Decrease Congestion

 Image source: https://urbanengines.com/cities/

Urban Engines, a software company started by former Google employees, hopes to better understand, and therefore alleviate, congestion by "using intelligent algorithms and big data analysis." TechCrunch writer Leena Rao reports that "Urban Engines’ software uses existing data from city transit systems and generates insights from spatial analytics to create a dynamic digital replica of a city’s transportation system." Using the data collected by transit systems, Urban Engines can "determine how crowded every bus or train is within a system, wait times, historical data and more." The software uses behavioral economics to implement incentives that would encourage commuter shifts, reducing congestion during peak travel times.

The company is interested in helping make transit systems in the 100 most populated cities in the world more efficient.  Currently, Urban Engines is working with Sao Paolo, Singapore and Washington D.C. 

For more information on Urban Engines, go to their website at https://urbanengines.com/.