Skip to main content

Alphabet's ideal city vision involves a world where Uber is king

alphabet google anniversary business changes becomes
zhu difeng/Shutterstock
In Alphabet’s fantasyland, there are no buses, subways or light rails — there is only Uber. Or at least, that’s what the tech conglomerate’s ideas for Columbus, Ohio, suggest. Documents the Guardian obtained from Sidewalk Labs, Alphabet’s smart cities think tank, reveal conceptual plans in which cities like Columbus should rid themselves of public transportation and instead subsidize travel through services like Uber.

Sidewalk Labs’ focus on this area comes after the city won the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City challenge, earning $50 million in funding for research and development in the process.

Alphabet is providing Columbus with Flow, Sidewalk Labs’ traffic management software, for free as part of the competition. The service, according to Engadget, “monitors traffic levels using Google Maps and Waze, with the data coming out the other side used to improve transit routes.”

The software also offers an option that compares and contrasts all options of transportation in one spot, giving the power to the user to ultimately decide their travel plans while being made fully aware of all associated available options, particularly costs and times.

Sidewalk Labs’ plans are not based on any particular attack or divestment in public transport, however. The think tank told the Guardian that Flow is about using data and analytics to help cities work with their citizens to increase the efficiency of road, parking, and transit use, improving access to mobility for all.

Related: Green city or ghost city? Masdar a failed experiment in sustainable planning

“Flow will allow cities to understand their transportation systems in read time, and could be used to improve and plan public transportation, guide drivers directly to parking, or point commuters to shared mobility options they can use when public transportation is not an option,” Sidewalk Labs COO Anand Babu said.

Obtained documents also recommend that vacant lots should be turned into somewhat of a marketplace as well, so that surge pricing would be in effect on busier days to manage demand, and also suggest emptier lots via the Flow app … that means no more aimless driving just to find a place to put the car for a few hours.

While Google’s intentions here on the surface seem very driven by an effort to improve city life, it’s important to remember its own stake in Uber, as well as its research in the self-driving car space.

We’re still a ways off from Google’s ultimate vision — both technologically and legally — but a peek at Sidewalk Labs’ plans portend an interesting future.

Editors' Recommendations

Harrison Kaminsky
Harrison’s obsession in the tech space originated in his father’s electronics store in Denville, New Jersey, where he…
Alpine sale: Up to $160 off speakers and subs for your car
alpine speaker sale crutchfield march 2024 car and amp setup on table

If you’re looking to kit your car out with some superior speakers or a subwoofer, Crutchfield is the place to go today. Right now, there’s a huge sale on Alpine subwoofers and speakers with nearly 50 different items forming the sale. As there are so many options, the best idea is to hit the button below to see what’s around. If you don’t know where to start though, read on while we take you through some great items in the sale.

What to shop for in the Alpine sale
Buying the best aftermarket car speakers are important for anyone who spends a lot of time on the road and is currently dealing with a mediocre sound system. One good starting point in the Alpine sale is the 2-way speakers for $104 instead of $130. You get two 2-way speakers with a polypropylene/glass fiber/mica woofer with a specialized rubber surround. There’s a one-inch silk dome tweeter with speakers able to handle up to 80 watts RMS with 240 watts peak power. The grilles aren’t included but the factor ones should be fine for most purposes.

Read more
Mercedes to trial humanoid robots for ‘low-skill, repetitive, demanding’ jobs
Apptronik's Apollo robot at work in an auto plant.

Humanoid robots have been coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some major companies are starting to take note.

Mercedes-Benz, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Texas-based robotics specialist Apptronik to collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robots that the auto giant could deploy. The deal will involve a trial that will see Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robot work alongside Mercedes' human workers on the factory floor.

Read more
Hyundai Ioniq 9: price, release date, range, and more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more