I'm not surprised Portland would be interested in trip data from Uber. The city recently licensed data from a fitness app company apparently to help better understand cyclist habits [1].
I'm just glad Uber and Portland were able to work something out. Both sides were able to save face and hopefully the city can enact some sane ridesharing regulations. Portland has fantastic public transportation compared to cities of comparable size, but completely disallowing ridesharing companies from operating would have been a big step backward.
[1] http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/8/6938041/portland-enlists-b...