How does Vianova use MDS to help operators collaborate with municipalities?
October 25, 2021
min. read
With the increasing demand for different mobility solutions and their increasing availability, municipalities are the first institutions to benefit from all these new ideas and service providers. Mobility Data Specification (MDS) is a digital tool created for their convenience. It helps municipalities to improve their management of public transportation. This tool is used by ATOM Mobility and many large micro-mobility operators to share ride and vehicle data. This time though the story is about Vianova, a company that goes a step further. This platform aggregates data from many operators and makes them available to municipalities in a visualized form that is easy to understand.
Every municipality should create the right mobility mix for its city. Usually, this is in order to rapidly replace individual cars. Interest from micro-mobility service providers is being regulated by cities with permits, tenders, and continually changing regulations, because, in relation to available parking places and safety, municipalities need to manage public spaces. However, fear of the potential mess resulting from free-floating micro-mobility still exists. What is the right number of vehicles that a city can afford to have? Operators are not interested in short-term collaborations, so what can they expect in the long term? They should plan their business ahead and they can even bring more added value to the city, for example, if they know that they can rely on integrating new means of transportation.
Towards better communication
Vianova is the leading mobility intelligence platform in Europe. The company provides mobility intelligence and mobility management tools to both cities and operators. It is possible for municipalities to see aggregated data from different mobility operators on dashboards so they can understand the utilization of services set up according to regulations. In addition, this data can be easily shared with operators and supervise fleet deployment in the city. “We've seen that this transparency and trust facilitates more direct communication that leads to better collaboration between operators and cities striving to deploy micro-mobility,” says Thibault Castagne, Co-Founder & CEO of Vianova.
Based on the data available, municipalities can plan new infrastructure deployments, draw up the right policies, and integrate micro-mobility into the overall mobility mix. This all can be done with the help of the appropriate analytics. “It is important to understand when, where and what vehicles are located to set up geofencing and mobility hubs, etc. Moreover, those in charge should make sure that everything works properly. In regard to safety - is the infrastructure set up in the right manner? Is there a need for new cycling lanes or speed limits? The mix of sustainability and mobility is really about understanding how these new services can be integrated into the city’s overall multimodal transport system and this is accomplished by understanding origin and destinations, interconnection with public transport, and so on. It can be achieved by sharing data,” says Thibault.
Creating regulations on the spot
The Vianova dashboard is available in a web app so it can be used on any web browser. Anyone with access can see the city view with all providers aggregated on one dashboard. If required, operators can even be contacted via the dashboard. City operators can keep track of violations. It is also possible to see fleet availability and vehicle rotation by district, sub-district, and even keep track of fleet size per provider.
“One very interesting feature is creating regulations,” explains Thibault. “It is possible to create new regulations straight on the map, for example, additional no-go zones. City representatives just have to click “plus” and indicate “I want to create a low-speed zone”. It will be possible to draw a particular zone that will be directly shared with operators. They will then receive an API. Through this API they will be able to continuously receive the city’s new regulations in a digital, machine-readable format that is easy to integrate with fleet management software.” In addition, full analytics reports are available detailing the number of trips per provider, the fleet size per provider, the device rotation and fleet availability, etc.
Operators can see their own mobility insights as well as regulations. They can obtain information about trips, helping them to identify what the most popular origins and most popular destinations are. Moreover, this data is even available for the last six months.
Here are a couple of examples of how cities took the insights provided by Vianova and turned them into very successful infrastructure changes. In Brussels, the city government uses trip telemetry to understand which routes are used by e-scooters and e-bikes the most all around the city. The new cycling lanes that were built after the investigation resulted in a five-fold increase in micro-mobility trips. A similar project that involved planning and management was implemented in Stockholm. New parking racks were built using data that helped to plan the installation, management, and availability.
Equal rights for everyone
However, even with the best data available for all parties, the question arises - is the competition between big micro-mobility players in the market like Void, Lion Bird, Spin, and small service providers fair? Is it even possible for smaller companies to enter the market? Thibault thinks that this is the toughest part of the discussion for municipalities. However, for small market players, it is not that complicated: “The truth is that the difference is not that big. I think that small operators should also show their track record or previous use cases of fleet operations, as well as demonstrate good collaboration with cities. This can provide these companies with the mandate to take part in this micro-mobility service competition. Furthermore, I think that smaller operators could be a better partner for the city because they turn out to be more focused on delivering the right service for that specific city.”
Vianova is a great partner for both operators and cities. The platform offers valuable insights that cities can then use to make their surroundings more sustainable and green by welcoming micro-mobility in a controlled manner.
Interested to learn more about MDS or Vianova? Reach out to our sales team: https://atommobility.com/demo
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Blog
How to fully automate maintenance tasks and alerts for rental fleets
🚗 Scaling a rental fleet without automating maintenance? That’s risky. Spreadsheets and routine checks might work at 20 vehicles, but once you grow past 50, things start slipping. More operators are using IoT telematics, automatic error codes, and mileage-based service alerts to catch issues early and keep vehicles available. See how rental fleet maintenance automation helps you scale without chaos.
March 31, 2026
min. read
How to automate maintenance alerts for rental fleets
Rental fleet maintenance automation is becoming essential for operators who want to scale without increasing operational complexity. Whether you manage cars, scooters, bikes, or mixed fleets, manual inspections and spreadsheets quickly fail once your fleet grows beyond a few dozen vehicles.
Breakdowns, missed services, and delayed repairs directly affect uptime, revenue, and customer satisfaction. Modern fleet technology makes it possible to automate maintenance using IoT telematics, onboard sensors, automatic error codes, mileage-based triggers, and structured dashboards.
Why manual maintenance tracking does not scale
In small fleets, maintenance is reactive. A customer reports an issue. A staff member checks the vehicle. Someone creates a task manually. This works for 20 vehicles, but for 200 it’s just too much work.
As fleets expand, issues are discovered too late, standards vary between locations, and staff spend more time coordinating than fixing. Rental fleet maintenance automation shifts operations from reactive repairs to preventive, system-driven workflows.
Using IoT telematics to monitor vehicles in real time
IoT telematics devices collect live data such as location, battery level, ignition status, engine health, and mileage. In car rental and car sharing fleets, telematics also track fuel levels, driving behaviour, and diagnostic information.
Instead of waiting for user reports, the system can trigger alerts automatically. For example:
- when a battery drops below 20 percent
- when a vehicle reaches a service mileage threshold
- when a vehicle leaves a defined service area
- when the vehicle receives a few negative reviews
This data feeds directly into the fleet platform, where workflows assign tasks automatically, reducing response times and eliminating internal coordination delays.
Onboard sensors and automatic error codes
Modern vehicles generate diagnostic trouble codes when systems fail. In connected fleets, these codes appear instantly in the operator dashboard.
If a vehicle reports a brake or engine warning, the system can block it from new bookings, notify technicians, and create a repair task automatically. In micromobility fleets, IoT modules detect tilt events, battery degradation, failed unlock attempts, or controller errors.
Digital reporting further improves vehicle availability. ATOM Mobility’s vehicle damage management feature shows how structured workflows reduce downtime and improve transparency.
Mileage-based and time-based service automation
Rule-based servicing is one of the most effective elements of rental fleet maintenance automation.
Operators can set simple service rules, such as:
- changing oil every 15,000 km
- checking brakes every 20,000 km
- running a safety check every six months
When a vehicle reaches one of these limits, the system creates a task automatically. The vehicle can also be temporarily removed from booking until the service is done. This becomes especially important when operating in multiple cities, because it keeps safety standards consistent across the entire fleet.
Maintenance dashboards and task automation
A maintenance dashboard centralises alerts, open issues, and upcoming service requirements.
With structured task management, teams can assign jobs, set priorities, track resolution times, and analyse recurring issues. ATOM Mobility’s Task Manager feature enables operators to convert alerts directly into trackable actions within one system. Alerts that turn into tasks automatically make it clear what needs fixing and when it should be handled.
From reactive to predictive maintenance
With enough historical data, fleets can move beyond fixed intervals. Operators can identify patterns such as faster brake wear in specific models or higher damage rates in certain areas. Predictive maintenance allows servicing based on actual usage intensity, reducing unnecessary costs while preventing major failures.
For operators growing from 50 to 500 vehicles, automation delivers clear advantages:
- higher uptime, because issues are detected earlier
- lower operational costs, since preventive repairs are cheaper than breakdowns
- improved safety and compliance, with no missed service intervals
- better customer experience, with fewer malfunctioning vehicles
- clearer performance metrics for management decisions
Automation supports maintenance teams with clearer priorities and better data.
Building the right automation stack
Effective rental fleet maintenance automation typically requires:
- IoT hardware
- a fleet management platform with automated alerts
- configurable service rules
- a task dashboard
- task automation logic
- analytics tools
When these components are connected, maintenance becomes scalable and controlled instead of reactive. This is especially important for operators running scooter, bike, car sharing, or rental businesses, where uptime directly impacts revenue and retention.
Rental fleet maintenance automation makes maintenance more organised and easier to manage as you grow. IoT telematics, automatic diagnostics, mileage alerts, and task dashboards help create clear processes that support expansion.
For rental and shared mobility operators who want to grow steadily, automating maintenance is essential. It helps keep operations stable and supports long-term profitability.
Blog
Lime improved GPS. But parking compliance may need more than that
Lime improved GPS from 12m to ~1.5m accuracy - a big step forward for micromobility. 🚀 But parking compliance isn’t just about knowing where a vehicle is - it’s about proving it’s parked correctly. Real-world pilots (like Prague) show that physical verification (e.g. Bluetooth beacons) can significantly outperform GPS when it comes to actual compliance.
March 25, 2026
min. read
Lime just raised the bar for GPS-based parking compliance. But the bigger question is this: when cities want verified parking, is better GPS enough, or do operators need physical proof? That question matters more than ever.
Lime’s new LimeBike rollout in the UK comes with a major location upgrade. Lime says its new bikes can locate themselves to within 1.5 metres, a significant improvement from the roughly 12.3 metres typical in dense urban environments (this means that based on GPS data, a vehicle can be up to 12 meters farther or closer than the reported GPS location. Now this error is just 1.5 meters). That is real progress.
Lime’s upgrade is a meaningful step forward for GPS-based positioning. At the same time, cities are increasingly looking beyond positioning accuracy toward verifiable parking compliance.
Why this matters
Cities are becoming much less tolerant of parking disorder. In Kensington & Chelsea, the council seized 1,000 rental e-bikes by November 2025 and collected more than £81,000 in charges from operators.
That is the real backdrop for every operator today:
- stricter enforcement
- more political pressure
- less room for ambiguity
So yes, better GPS is good news. But it does not automatically mean cities will see parking as “solved.” A vehicle may be near a bay, beside a bay, or slightly outside it. In dense urban areas, that difference matters. Traditional GPS struggles there because of building interference, blocked satellite visibility, and signal reflections.
So the strategic question is no longer:
“Can we improve GPS?”
It is:
“What kind of system gives cities enough confidence to enforce parking rules fairly and consistently?”
What the Prague pilot showed
A European Commission-backed pilot in Prague tested a different approach: Bluetooth-based parking verification.
Across 25 parking locations and 989 parking events, the results were clear:
- 90.6% success rate for SparkPark (Bluetooth infrastructure)
- 38.4% success rate for GPS/GNSS positioning
- Technology readiness advanced from TRL 6 to 8/9
When the goal is verified parking inside a defined zone, infrastructure-based validation can significantly outperform vehicle-only (GPS) positioning.
GPS improvement vs physical verification
Lime’s move shows how far vehicle-side intelligence is improving. SparkPark points to a different model: verify the parking zone itself.
That distinction matters.
- GPS estimates where the vehicle is
- Infrastructure confirms whether it is correctly parked
Those are fundamentally different approach.
Why cities may prefer the second path
One of the key findings from the Prague pilot is not just technical - it is institutional. Cities often rely on operator-provided data to assess compliance. That creates a trust gap. What cities increasingly want:
- independent verification
- reliable compliance data
- less reliance on operator-reported positioning
This is why the conversation is shifting from “better accuracy” → “verifiable proof.”
What this means for ATOM Mobility partners
Parking compliance is becoming more important than ever:
- permit approvals
- permit renewals
- daily operational performance
Operators who can demonstrate verifiable compliance may have a clear advantage.
With ATOM Mobility, partners can explore:
- integration-ready compliance workflows as ATOM Mobility already implemented bluetooth-based parking verification together with SparkPark
- futher support for infrastructure-based validation like SparkPark
- 10x faster deployment without full fleet replacement
Instead of waiting for hardware cycles, operators can move faster and adapt to changing city expectations.
Lime deserves credit for pushing GPS accuracy forward. It is a meaningful step for the industry. But the Prague pilot highlights something equally important:
Micromobility parking may not be solved by better positioning alone. It may also require verification.
Not:
“Where is the vehicle likely parked?”
But:
“Can this parking event be verified with confidence?”
Final thought?
The future of parking compliance is likely evolving across two complementary paths:
Path 1: improve GPS accuracy
Path 2: implement physical verification
The first makes parking smarter. The second makes it more reliable and verifiable.
And in regulated urban mobility, confidence and trust often matter as much as precision.
Want to explore how ATOM Mobility can support stricter parking compliance workflows and how SparkPark technology works alongside the ATOM Mobility platform? Get in touch with our team to discuss integration options and city-facing parking control setups.
Sources:
Lime GPS upgrade announcement:
https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/micromobility/new-lime-bike-upgrade-to-hit-uk-streets-this-month-12568
West Midlands LimeBike rollout:
https://www.wmca.org.uk/news/new-limebike-to-launch-in-west-midlands/
Kensington & Chelsea enforcement data:
https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/newsroom/1000-e-bikes-seized-borough
Prague SparkPark pilot (EIT Urban Mobility):
https://marketplace.eiturbanmobility.eu/best-practices/high-precision-parking-for-shared-micromobility-in-prague
SparkPark:
https://sparkpark.no
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