City of Santa Monica Selects Populus to Power the Next Chapter of Its Shared Mobility Program
The longtime leader in micromobility transitions to Populus to streamline data management, enhance policy enforcement, and partner for continued mobility innovation
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - July 8, 2025 — The City of Santa Monica, a national pioneer in shared mobility, has selected Populus, the industry’s leading mobility and curb management platform, to power its next phase of program growth and innovation. Following a competitive procurement process, Santa Monica will transition from its previous mobility data provider to the Populus Mobility Manager platform to strengthen operations, ensure accountability, and inform data-driven policies that support sustainable transportation.
"Santa Monica is proud to be at the forefront of innovation in transportation and mobility," Director of Santa Monica's Department of Transportation Anuj Gupta said. "We're thrilled to partner with Populus, a solution that aligns with our vision for a smarter and better connected future. Together, we're bringing forward-thinking solutions that improve how our community moves, lives and thrives."
As the first U.S. city to permit shared electric scooters in 2017, Santa Monica has continued to push boundaries in urban mobility. This new long-term partnership with Populus builds on that legacy—supporting the City not only in managing its shared mobility program more effectively, but also in modernizing its broader approach to curb and right-of-way management over the next five years.
“We’re thrilled to support a trailblazing city like Santa Monica,” said Regina Clewlow, CEO and Co-founder of Populus. “This partnership is about more than just technology—it’s about enabling smart, sustainable, and equitable mobility choices for residents and visitors alike.”
The Mobility Manager platform provides city staff with powerful tools to continually evaluate and optimize shared mobility operations. With Populus, cities can monitor the performance of parking corrals, enforce vehicle caps and policy zones, analyze transportation equity, and identify infrastructure needs—ensuring that shared mobility services remain safe, accessible, and aligned with community goals.
Through this partnership, Populus will deliver:
Seamless integration of real-time mobility data feeds via MDS and GBFS standards
Automated compliance workflows for fleet caps, no-ride/no-parking zones, and other policies
Interactive dashboards and custom reporting to track trends, rider behavior, and policy outcomes
As one of Southern California’s most multi-modal communities, Santa Monica is exploring multiple avenues to enhance the safety and efficiency of their streets and curbside. As the city evaluates future initiatives, Populus looks forward to the opportunity to demonstrate additional aspects of the platform/program/technology that can be used to realize policy objectives.
Populus currently supports more than 100 cities and agencies globally, including nearby cities like Long Beach and San Diego, with tools that ensure safe, equitable, and well-managed mobility ecosystems. The company’s patented platform is built to help public agencies harness the power of mobility data while protecting privacy and aligning with local policy goals.
About Populus
Populus helps cities and transportation agencies deliver safer, more efficient, and more equitable streets. The Populus platform is the only comprehensive digital solution that empowers cities to manage the public right-of-way with real-time mobility data, dynamic curb regulations, and digital parking tools. From shared bikes and scooters to commercial delivery fleets and autonomous vehicles, Populus provides the tools cities need to understand activity at the curb, deploy smart loading zones, and implement frictionless, GPS-enabled payments for commercial vehicles. Trusted by over 100 cities worldwide, Populus has ingested data from more than 40 mobility operators and over 300 million trips.