Dive Brief:

• The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) acted properly in suspending Uber's permit to rent out its dockless Jump bikes and scooters in the city, according to a ruling Tuesday.
• The 13-page decision found LADOT was justified in challenging Uber's compliance with its Mobility Data Specifications (MDS) requirement for mobility companies to report certain trip data, according to the Los Angeles Times. An Uber spokesperson told the Times the company plans to appeal this decision.
• Uber has neglected to provide LADOT with bike and scooter trip data due to privacy concerns, however hearing officer David Shapiro said the company did not provide evidence of MDS data being used to personally identify riders. He also pointed to flaws in LADOT's argument, noting the city did not properly explain how the data can be used to solve problems.

Dive Insight:

This decision upholds LADOT's rigorous data reporting standards, which every other mobility company operating in the city has followed. The city was heralded as a trailblazer for establishing MDS, which inspired other cities to do similar work and encouraged more than a dozen cities and private partners to launch the Open Mobility Foundation (OMF) to build and govern open source transportation technology tools.

Throughout this lengthy disagreement with Uber, LADOT has stood by its MDS requirements. At the CoMotion LA conference last November, the agency's General Manager Seleta Reynolds said the legal brouhaha shows how hard it can be for cities to work with some private entities.

"It's not my preference," she said of the impasse. "I would much, much rather be at the table, which we are with a lot of these other companies, learning together and figuring out together how to make this work best for everyone."

The debate is surely far from over, as Uber will continue the battle with an appeal. For now, Jump bikes and scooters are still available in the city.