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…
Tesla Model 3 vs. Hyundai Ioniq 6: Which electric sedan is best?
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6.

There are finally some more electric sedan options. For years, the Tesla Model 3 was really the only good electric sedan that comes at a reasonable price -- until, Hyundai recently launched the Ioniq 6. The Ioniq 6 certainly takes some cues from the larger Ioniq 5, but is smaller and sleeker, with a design seemingly inspired by the Porsche 911.

But the Tesla Model 3 is still clearly an excellent option for those looking for an electric car, and who don't want a larger crossover. Which is better? Here's a look.
Design
The exterior design of the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 is quite different. If you've seen a Tesla car before, then you'll immediately recognize the Model 3 -- it looks largely like a slightly different version of every other Tesla (except the Cybertruck).

Read more
Scout Motors Electric SUV: rumored price, release date, design, and more
Scout SUV Teaser

There's another electric SUV on the way, and this one comes with a familiar name. Volkswagen is reviving the classic Scout name for a new electric SUV that's billed as being an "RUV," or a rugged utility vehicle. And, it could well prove itself as the best electric SUV in its price range, when it does finally come out.

The new EV isn't due out for quite some time, but there's already a fair bit that we know about it. Curious to learn more? Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming Scout SUV.
Design
There's very little we actually know about the Scout SUV so far, but we do know a little about the eventual design. A few teasers for the upcoming vehicle have been released, showing sketches of both the SUV and the accompanying pickup truck, along with what's presumably the front of the SUV -- though in a dark environment, with little detail.

Read more
Volkswagen ID.GTI concept is another icon reimagined as an EV
Front three quarter view of the Volkswagen ID.GTI concept.

Volkswagen reinvented one of its most iconic models with the ID.Buzz, a modern, all-electric homage to the classic Microbus. But that's not the only fan favorite vehicle currently in the automaker's catalog.

Debuting at the 2023 Munich Auto Show, the Volkswagen ID.GTI concept aims to do for the Golf GTI hot hatchback — VW's signature performance car — what the ID.Buzz did for the Microbus. VW claims a production version has already been given the green light, although it won't say when it will appear.

Read more