NOVACAB: Uber intends to butter up Brit transport chiefs with great deals of lovely information

Much reviled not-a-taxi biz Uber has vowed to hand over travel data to Transport for London.In a quote to flatter the regulator that is presently considering whether to renew its licence in the UK's capital, Uber has today introduced laxative-sounding Uber Motion "tool" in the capital.The move follows a

missive from TfL last month that -as well as setting out ground rules for private-hire firms that desire to operate in the city - recommended they must likewise share their data.This is important for the body since it is under pressure to reduce traffic in the centre and improve air quality across the city, however Uber and others make up a piece of motion that they cannot track.Uber stated it

was opening up the information based upon "feedback" from the cities it operates in, but it belongs to significant efforts to rebrand the biz after the mass data breach and concerns over traveler security. The biz also today altered the app so travelers are informed that Uber London is the operator which their motorist is certified by TfL.The Motion tool promises to slurp up data from journeys and is pitched as a way "to assist metropolitan organizers deciding about their city".

The biz said the data will be anonymised prior to it is shared and a representative told The Register that no personally recognizable information would be turned over.

"Our tool also enables people to see how journey times in various parts of the city are affected by things like major events, road closures or infrastructure investment," Fred Jones, Uber's head of UK cities said. To show its use, Uber looked at how the closure of Tower Bridge for upkeep between October and December 2016 impacted traffic flows around the city.For instance,

travel times in eastern London north of the Thames were about 10 per cent longer because time, while west of the bridge journey times were less affected. Uber put this down to the absence of other river crossings east of the bridge.

"The information clearly reveals the cascading impacts of the closure on London's whole transportation grid," Uber stated in a blogpost. "Further examination into those impacts can help inform future decisions required to efficiently handle and prepare for road and infrastructure closures."

The biz stated it planned to introduce in Manchester and Birmingham in the next couple of months.The move was

invited by open data advocates, with Jeni Tennison, chief officer of the Open Data Institute, saying that such openness "unlocks development and develops financial and social value".

A TfL representative said: "We invite any move that has the potential to provide a greater insight into how individuals move around London."

Uber's appeal versus TfL's September choice not to restore its licence is because of start on April 30.