TransitWiki - User contributions [en]

Transit software

2015-05-23T06:10:08Z

AddTransit: Added GTFS software section to the types of software.

[[File:Route Match.jpg|thumbnail|right|Route Match transit software in action. Source: http://www.laketransit.org/]]
== Introduction ==
There are many vendors providing software for the transit industry for various applications. While the field includes a few large, well-known players, there are also smaller businesses providing customized solutions. One resource for discovering any vendors in the industry is to attend an [http://www.apta.com/Pages/default.aspx American Public Transportation Association] (APTA) Expo. APTA also provides a [http://apta.officialbuyersguide.net/ buyer's guide] on their website which includes paid advertising as well as basic listings of vendors in various categories including software.

''The software packages or vendors referenced in this article are provided as examples within the industry, not meant to be an exhaustive list, nor representative of any rating, ranking, or promotion of any vendor over another. Users and industry representatives are encouraged to add other active vendors to create a reference page. Promotional language or personal opinions are not acceptable.''

== Purchasing ==
As with procurement of almost anything in the public transportation business, transit software packages are typically not an off-the-shelf product. They typically require procurement using a pre-defined specification allowing for various firms to competitively bid. Bidding for software the first time for an agency can be challenging without expertise in the field. Small but growing agencies that need to move away from basic solutions towards more robust software can find themselves frustrated during software implementation if their specifications were not adequate to reach the final desired product. Even with a well-written specification, software implementation can be challenging because most packages are tailored to suit each agencies' need. Unlike consumer software such as Microsoft Office, which has been developed over decades of response with a huge user base, transit software has a much smaller audience and comparatively less development history.

Agencies are advised to consult other agencies for specifications and experience before setting out on a new software procurement.

=== Modules ===
Many vendors provide numerous software solutions which can incorporate various aspects of transit operations and planning into one procurement. Specificity about what your agency needs in a software package is crucial. Integrated software can be very helpful in providing comprehensive analysis, but adding modules to a procurement increases the price of purchase. Modules can include otherwise distinct software for dispatching, service scheduling, work (bid) scheduling, paratransit scheduling, fleet maintenance, fare management, and more.

== Software ==

=== Service Scheduling and Dispatch ===
Some of the businesses providing scheduling and dispatch (often separately for fixed-route and paratransit as modules), include:
* [http://routematch.com/ RouteMatch]
* [http://www.trapezegroup.com/solutions/public-transit/scheduling-software Trapeze]
* GIRO's [http://www.giro.ca/en/ HASTUS]
* [http://initusa.com/en/products/ITCS.php?thisID=435 INIT]
* [http://www.cts-software.com/ CTS Software] for paratransit (not to be confused with [http://cts.cubic.com/en-us/solutions/enterprisesystemsfortransit.aspx Cubic Transportation Systems])

=== Fare Media ===
Fare media vendors can include both hardware and software providers; some firms provide the software solution that can accompany varying hardware, while others provide a fully integrated proprietary product.
* [http://routematch.com/ RouteMatch]
* [http://www.trapezegroup.com/solutions/public-transit/scheduling-software Trapeze]
* [http://cts.cubic.com/en-us/solutions/enterprisesystemsfortransit.aspx Cubic Transportation Systems]
* [http://www.mjminnovations.com/ MJM Innovations]
* [http://www.spx.com/en/genfare/ SPX Genfare (formerly GFI)]
* [https://addtransit.com/online-ticketing.php AddTransit]

=== GTFS Feed ===
Firms that create GTFS files and/or display GTFS data
* [https://www.rome2rio.com/ Rome2Rio]
* [http://www.transittimesapp.com/ Transit Times App]
* [http://thetransitapp.com/ The Transit App]
* [https://addtransit.com/online-ticketing.php AddTransit]
* [https://maps.google.com Google Maps]

== Other Resources ==
* APTA [http://apta.officialbuyersguide.net/ buyer's guide]
* "[http://publictransport.about.com/od/Transit_Technology/a/Software-Used-In-The-Public-Transit-Industry-Hastus-By-Giro.htm Software Used in the Public Transit Industry]" by Christopher MacKechnie for About.com

[[Category: Technology]]

Transit software

2015-05-23T06:00:46Z

AddTransit: Added AddTransit as an online ticketing/fare software provider

[[File:Route Match.jpg|thumbnail|right|Route Match transit software in action. Source: http://www.laketransit.org/]]
== Introduction ==
There are many vendors providing software for the transit industry for various applications. While the field includes a few large, well-known players, there are also smaller businesses providing customized solutions. One resource for discovering any vendors in the industry is to attend an [http://www.apta.com/Pages/default.aspx American Public Transportation Association] (APTA) Expo. APTA also provides a [http://apta.officialbuyersguide.net/ buyer's guide] on their website which includes paid advertising as well as basic listings of vendors in various categories including software.

''The software packages or vendors referenced in this article are provided as examples within the industry, not meant to be an exhaustive list, nor representative of any rating, ranking, or promotion of any vendor over another. Users and industry representatives are encouraged to add other active vendors to create a reference page. Promotional language or personal opinions are not acceptable.''

== Purchasing ==
As with procurement of almost anything in the public transportation business, transit software packages are typically not an off-the-shelf product. They typically require procurement using a pre-defined specification allowing for various firms to competitively bid. Bidding for software the first time for an agency can be challenging without expertise in the field. Small but growing agencies that need to move away from basic solutions towards more robust software can find themselves frustrated during software implementation if their specifications were not adequate to reach the final desired product. Even with a well-written specification, software implementation can be challenging because most packages are tailored to suit each agencies' need. Unlike consumer software such as Microsoft Office, which has been developed over decades of response with a huge user base, transit software has a much smaller audience and comparatively less development history.

Agencies are advised to consult other agencies for specifications and experience before setting out on a new software procurement.

=== Modules ===
Many vendors provide numerous software solutions which can incorporate various aspects of transit operations and planning into one procurement. Specificity about what your agency needs in a software package is crucial. Integrated software can be very helpful in providing comprehensive analysis, but adding modules to a procurement increases the price of purchase. Modules can include otherwise distinct software for dispatching, service scheduling, work (bid) scheduling, paratransit scheduling, fleet maintenance, fare management, and more.

== Software ==

=== Service Scheduling and Dispatch ===
Some of the businesses providing scheduling and dispatch (often separately for fixed-route and paratransit as modules), include:
* [http://routematch.com/ RouteMatch]
* [http://www.trapezegroup.com/solutions/public-transit/scheduling-software Trapeze]
* GIRO's [http://www.giro.ca/en/ HASTUS]
* [http://initusa.com/en/products/ITCS.php?thisID=435 INIT]
* [http://www.cts-software.com/ CTS Software] for paratransit (not to be confused with [http://cts.cubic.com/en-us/solutions/enterprisesystemsfortransit.aspx Cubic Transportation Systems])

=== Fare Media ===
Fare media vendors can include both hardware and software providers; some firms provide the software solution that can accompany varying hardware, while others provide a fully integrated proprietary product.
* [http://routematch.com/ RouteMatch]
* [http://www.trapezegroup.com/solutions/public-transit/scheduling-software Trapeze]
* [http://cts.cubic.com/en-us/solutions/enterprisesystemsfortransit.aspx Cubic Transportation Systems]
* [http://www.mjminnovations.com/ MJM Innovations]
* [http://www.spx.com/en/genfare/ SPX Genfare (formerly GFI)]
* [https://addtransit.com/online-ticketing.php AddTransit]

== Other Resources ==
* APTA [http://apta.officialbuyersguide.net/ buyer's guide]
* "[http://publictransport.about.com/od/Transit_Technology/a/Software-Used-In-The-Public-Transit-Industry-Hastus-By-Giro.htm Software Used in the Public Transit Industry]" by Christopher MacKechnie for About.com

[[Category: Technology]]

General Transit Feed Specification

2015-05-23T05:54:56Z

AddTransit: Added links to the various websites mentioned. Added the GTFS is transformed into a Transit Score which is now used to rank property on some real estate websites (i.e. a third level abstraction for the data).

[[Image:GTFS.jpg|thumb|right|350px|A GTFS dataset from a transit agency, showing the schedules, routes, and shapes files. Dataset from San Francisco BART.]]
[[Category:Technology]]
==Introduction==
The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) defines a common format for public transportation schedules and associated geographic information.
The format was developed in 2005, when Trimet in Portland, Oregon began working with Google on incorporating transit agency data in their trip planners.<ref>[http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/01/05/how-google-and-portlands-trimet-set-the-standard-for-open-transit-data/How Google and Portland’s TriMet Set the Standard for Open Transit Data] </ref> They came up with Google Transit Feed Specification, which was easily maintainable and could be imported into Google Maps. Google offered their trip planning services for free to any agency that formatted and maintained their transit data in that format, later to become called General Transit Feed Specification. Now, GTFS has become the most popularly-used data format in the world, with increasing numbers of agencies choosing to share their transit data with the public.

GTFS "feeds" allow public transit agencies to publish their transit data and developers to use that data to write applications. The feeds are represented in a series of text files that are compressed into a ZIP file, and include information such as fixed-route schedules, routes, and bus stop data. Many transit agencies have created and published GTFS data with the primary purpose being integration with Google Maps. However, GTFS data can used by a variety of third-party software applications for many purposes, such as trip planning, ridesharing, and mobile applications.

==The Many Uses of GTFS Data--A Summary==
"The Many Uses of GTFS Data", published by Antrim and Barbeau (2013), provides an overview of the GTFS opportunities for transit agencies and describes many different uses and benefits that can assist agencies in maximizing their investment in GTFS data.

===Creating and Maintaining a GTFS Dataset===
Transit agencies must choose between formatting a GTFS dataset in-house or outsourcing the task. The datasets have to be updated when there are schedule changes, and since major transit agencies update their schedules several times a year, some agencies might find greater benefits to outsourcing. If agencies choose to outsource, the cost per route ranges from $200 to $500, depending on the complexity of the route and availability of existing route data. <ref> [http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/Docs-Pdfs/CoordinatedPlng/google.feasibility.study.pdf Northern California Google Transit Feasibility Study] </ref>

===Disseminating GTFS Data===
Some agencies have chosen to share their transit data with select vendors such as Google Transit. They are typically concerned with legal exposure due to the lack of accuracy of data, loss of control of agency brand, and loss of control of dissemination of transit service information. However, many others feel the benefits of open transit data outweigh the risks, since developers can screen-scrape agency websites, which is not ideal for either party. Currently, over 200 transit agencies in the United States have chosen to openly share their GTFS data. <ref> [http://www.citygoround.org/agencies/ City-Go-Round] </ref>

The Google Transit Partner Program allows public transportation agencies to provide schedules and geographic information to Google Maps and other Google applications that show transit information. The website provides instructions for agencies just starting the GTFS sharing process and gives suggestions on how to create high-quality feeds. <ref> [http://maps.google.com/help/maps/mapcontent/transit/index.html Google Transit Partner Program] </ref> For agencies that wish to make their data available to everyone, they can share the feeds on websites such as GTFS Data Exchange, which was designed to help developers and transit agencies efficiently share and retrieve GTFS data. <ref> [http://www.gtfs-data-exchange.com/ GTFS Data Exchange] </ref>

===Applications Based on GTFS===
The following are just a few examples of the types of applications and names of existing application that use GTFS.
*'''Trip planning and maps'''
:[https://maps.google.com Google Maps] is currently implemented for most transit agencies that publish GTFS. Other examples of trip planning applications are [https://www.bing.com/maps/ Bing Maps] and [http://www.opentripplanner.org/ OpenTripPlanner]. A number of other websites graphically map where GTFS data is available (e.g. [http://tracker.geops.ch/ TRAVIC: Transit Visualization Client]) and the types of data available.
*'''Timetable creation'''
:Timetable Publisher is free, open-source software that creates timetables in both HTML and PDF formats. TriMet in Portland, Oregon uses TimeTable Publisher to create all its timetables, as does Hampton Roads Transit in the south-eastern Virginia area.
*'''Data visualization'''
:[https://www.walkscore.com/ WalkScore] is a website that helps people quantify “walkability” of an area by showing the nearby amenities within walking distance. The website also has a Transit Score, that rates how well an address is served by public transportation. These Transit Scores are now shown on a number of other websites, such as real estate websites where they assist potential purchasers rank how well a property is served by public transport.
*'''Accessibility'''
:The Travel Assistant Device (TAD) is designed for sight-impaired or intellectually-disabled passengers. Phones with the application installed give audio and vibrating alerts when it is time for the passenger to pull the stop cord and alight from the bus
*'''Real-time transit information'''
:Newer formats, such as [https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs-realtime/ GTFS-realtime] and [http://bustime.mta.info/wiki/Developers/SIRIIntro SIRI], can be added as an extension to a basic GTFS format so transit agencies can share [[real-time information]]. [http://www.nextbus.com NextBus] is a vendor that provides real-time transit information in many cities, such as for the Los Angeles Metro.

==External Links==
* [http://transitfeeds.com/ TransitFeeds.com] - An extensive collection of official public transit data from around the world, including GTFS, GTFS-RealTime and more.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Transit_Feed_Specification Wikipedia page on GTFS]
* [http://www.appropedia.org/General_Transit_Feed_Specification The GTFS page on the Appropedia Wiki], which includes links to [http://www.appropedia.org/Open_Source_Transport_Informatics_tools pages on useful tools for working GTFS data].

==References==
<references/>

==Additional Reading==
Shasta County Regional Transportation Planning Agency. [http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/Docs-Pdfs/CoordinatedPlng/google.feasibility.study.pdf "Northern California Google Transit Feasibility Study."]. (2009).
:The Shasta RTPA led a study on the feasibility of integrating small-urban and rural public transit service schedules and geographic information with Google Transit. The study makes recommendations on how Google Transit can be improved to address the needs of small rural agencies.

Florida Department of Transportation. [http://www.locationaware.usf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/SunRail-Electronic-Trip-Planning-Study-Final-Report.pdf "SunRail Electronic Trip Planning Study Final Report"] (2013).
:This report was prepared for the FDOT in advance of their SunRail launch; it analyzes various online trip planning options for SunRail to consider, and includes a section on GTFS's benefits, risks, and applications.