Jake SION

Biographical note
Jake Sion is Transit’s Chief Operating Officer. He manages Transit’s business team, and is responsible for developing partnerships with public transit agencies and other mobility providers. Prior to joining Transit, Jake worked for Transdev where he led the deployment of mobile ticketing apps for transit agencies in New York and New Orleans. Jake has also worked for Boston’s transit agency, the MBTA, where he was part of the small innovation team that launched the first mobile ticketing solution in the United States in 2012. Jake holds a BA from Cornell University in Urban Studies and International Relations.

Presentation: Improving the base layer: next steps for transit data in North America
Seven years ago, big US transit agencies were sending app developers cease-and-desist letters for using their transit schedules. Five years ago, only a handful were producing standardized static and real-time data. As a nascent company being built on Open Data, we’d regularly field questions from investors: what if transit agencies cut you off? Thankfully, that question is no longer a concern; the vast majority of North American transit agencies make data open and easily accessible. Globally, this has become accepted practice. Riders now have incredible options at their fingertips and taking transit is easier than ever before. So does the story end here? What comes next? With millions of users in the US and Canada, we have unique insight into the most pressing data issues. Notably, data quality breaks down when riders need information the most, such as during storms or other major disruptions. So while the base layer of data from agencies is absolutely critical, it’s often not enough. In this talk, Jake shares more about Transit App’s approach to improving data quality, and how the company (and others) can apply these strategies in developing countries.