Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs recently spun off a new startup in the form of Coord, with its latest venture being aimed at simplifying the process of booking transportation services in smart cities of the future. The concept is based on the technology behind Flow, being delivered as a unified application programming interface (API) that Coord will be selling to third-party developers interested in accessing data on parking, tolls, and curb space in U.S. cities. While that information is valuable by itself, one of the main selling points of the service offered by Coord is that it can be implemented into any app or another type of software in an extremely straightforward manner, cutting down on development time and other resources. The startup is already offering an experimental Sandbox API to any developer interested in trying it out, with the solution representing a live test environment that contains street regulations and toll data for Seattle, Washington. Developers can refer to the banner below to create an account with Coord and give its API a go.
Cord Chief Executive Officer Stephen Smyth said the ultimate goal for the company is to revolutionize the process of booking transportation services in urban environments just like American Airlines managed to streamline the basic framework for booking flights in the 1960s with its SABRE system developed in collaboration with IBM. At its most basic level, Coord is seeking to deliver real-time data on all mobility services ranging from bike-sharing and public transportation to ride-hailing in a given area, supplying transportation providers with meaningful data that can help make their businesses more effective while simultaneously delivering more useful information to consumers who will be able to understand the time-money differences associated with individual options more easily.
The API also allows developers to create and manage representations of their users, ultimately seeking to not just lower the costs of urban transportation but make understanding contemporary mobility options as straightforward as public transportation to consumers. Right now, Coord is already capable of improving the end-user experience of mobility services, with its ultimate goal being to power self-driving fleets capable of adjusting their prices and routes in real time while also resolving the issue of overly contested curbs that inhibit delivery services and are often the sites of double-parking.
Coord