TransitWiki - User contributions [en]

Fare pricing and reform

2019-12-12T18:18:58Z

Dlcomeaux: /* Fare-Free Case Studies */ Adding new case studies

[[File:Got-bus-pass.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|A member of the public at a rally for Free/Reduced Student Passes in Oakland, Photo by J. Moses Ceasar 2005]]

[[Category:Finance and revenue]]
[[Category:Market Response]]
==Introduction==
Most transit agencies employ largely flat fare systems, which charge the same price, regardless of time of day, distance or direction traveled, or quality of service. However, they do not reflect the actual costs of providing service, which constantly fluctuate throughout the day. Peak period operation, longer trip routes, and premium service all cost the agency more money to operate, and require more capital investments. Additionally, there is the issue of "cross-subsidization"; since flat fares do not distinguish between time, type, or distance of travel, transit users traveling shorter distances, during off-peak hours, and using non-premium services “cross-subsidize” riders on more expensive routes. There is a considerable body of research that argue in favor of flexible, differentiated fares. There are also other fare strategies that transit agencies can consider, such as using smartcard technology, eliminating fares altogether, or providing group fares or other discounts.

==Differentiated Pricing==
Most transit systems have flat fares, but others use differentiated fares based on time (peak vs. off-peak) or distance traveled. Differentiated fares are more efficient because they better reflect the variable costs of transit service, encourage riders to travel when excess capacity is available, and subsidize all types of riders roughly equally. Some transit agencies worry about losing riders after switching to differentiated pricing, but new fare system can incentivize additional short rides by making them cheaper. More research is needed to draw broader conclusions on the effect on ridership of moving from flat to differentiated fares.

Any new fare system is going to raise concerns about equity; if low-income riders have longer trips then they will be disproportionately impacted by differentiated pricing. This effect is highly dependent on local settlement patterns. One study in Utah found that a switch to differentiated pricing in a certain part of the Utah Transit Authority's service area would be progressive, reducing fares for low-income and minority riders.<ref>[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856414001785 Farber, S. et al. (2014). "Assessing social equity in distance based transit fares using a model of travel behavior." Transportation Research Part A.]</ref> This isn't necessarily transferable to other areas, though; agencies looking to make the switch will have to do their own [[Transit and Civil Rights|Title VI analyses]].

In recent decades [[automated fare media]] has greatly simplified the process of collecting differentiated fares. However, many agencies are still wary of the perceived complexity and unpopularity of time- and distance- based fares, and if anything in recent years more agencies have returned to flat fare systems. <ref>[http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_94.pdf Multisystems, Inc., Mundle & Associates, Inc., & Simon & Simon Research Associates, Inc. (2003). "Fare Policies, Structures, and Technologies: Update." Transit Cooperative Research Program.]</ref>

*'''Los Angeles MTA Study'''
:In 2010, Los Angeles Metro looked at the potential for time and distance-based fares for the MTA bus and rail system<ref>[http://media.metro.net/board/Items/2010/09_september/20100915OPItem10.pdf Evaluation of Time and Distance-Based Fare Policies]</ref>.

:The time-based system would give riders a window of time during which subsequent boardings would not require payment. Transfer fees would be eliminated during that time period. A simple way to implement this would be to use the TAP cards, although the agency would have to look into additional hardware to vend receipts if it wanted to accommodate cash-paying riders as well. One important implication is this system would encourage riders to use the fastest services available, since they would be granted a narrow time window of free transfers. Base fares may have to be increased, since transfer fare revenues will be lost.

:The distance-based system could apply to Rapid and Express buses, to heavy rail, or to all rail lines. Fares would be based on increments of distance, with corresponding fare zone boundaries identified for each route. While existing hardware and fare media could be used, the agency might have to install fare gates or hire additional people for fare enforcement. An overall concern with a distance-based system is some riders may choose slower, cheaper parallel services because they cannot afford to pay a premium fare.

==Group Fares==

Transit agencies can offer [[Deep Discount Group Pass|deep discount group passes]] to employers and universities. In a 2004 dissertation, Cornelius Nuworsoo explores the benefits of discounted fare programs for groups and summarizes the outcomes of unlimited-ride pass programs in Berkeley and Denver.<ref>[http://www.its.berkeley.edu/publications/UCB/2004/DS/UCB-ITS-DS-2004-2.pdf "Deep Discount Group Pass Programs as Instruments for Increasing Transit Revenue and Ridership."] </ref> There is an associated Access Magazine article that can be found on the Access website at http://www.accessmagazine.org

==Fares Based on Ability to Pay==
The SFMTA is currently conducting a study on developing a fare system that takes into account passengers' ability to pay, rather than simply on their ages. The SFMTA does have a Lifeline pass program, which provides a 50 percent discount on the monthly pass for residents whose incomes are below 200% of the federal poverty level. However, fewer than 20,000 people use the Lifeline system, since it is burdensome and requires a lot of paperwork for all parties. <ref>[http://www.planetizen.com/node/59552 Bay Area Considers Basing Transit Fares on Need] </ref> The proposed fare system would ideally cut down on red tape and provide discounts for those in financial need.

==Fare-Free Transit==
Cities provide a variety of services, such as parks and libraries, to everyone with no direct fee. Proponents of fare-free transit argue that public transportation should be provided in the same way.<ref>[http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/167498.aspx Volinski, J. (2012). "Implementation and Outcomes of Fare-Free Transit Systems." Transit Cooperative Research Program.]</ref> Fare-free transit would be beneficial to low-income riders, especially to people of color who are more likely to be stopped for farebeating. Fare-free transit is also seen by supporters as a way to reduce dwell times, lower administrative costs, and grow transit ridership. Opponents of of fare-free transit argue that the lost revenue, when coupled with additional demand, would stretch agency resources too thin and harm service quality. There are also concerns about loitering and vandalism, though the extent to which this is a serious problem is a matter of debate.

The practicality of fare-free transit seems to be tied in part to the size of the system. There are multiple possible reasons for this, but farebox recovery ratios play a role. Large transit systems like those in New York City or the San Francisco Bay can have farebox recovery ratios of more than 40%, meaning that switching to fare-free service would represent a huge loss in revenue.<ref>[http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/15/07/05/the-list-the-10-u-s-transit-agencies-that-rely-most-on-fare-revenues/ Rinde, Meir. (2015). "The List: The 10 U.S. Transit Agencies that Rely Most on Fare Revenues." NJ Spotlight.]</ref> On the other hand, for small systems that number might be less than 10%. Given the cost of collecting fares (fareboxes, payment processing systems, increased dwell time), it's possible that moving fare-free could actually improve system finances. Successful fare-free system are typically in small areas dominated by either universities or resorts.

===Fare-Free Case Studies===
''United States''
* '''Corvallis Transit System''' - CTS serves a Corvallis, OR, a city of 55,000 people (including 20,000 Oregon State University students). In 2011 CTS made the decision to go fare-free as a way to reduce car dependency. Funding, which had previous come from fares and student fees at OSU, was replaced with a $2.75 a month charge to Corvallis Utility customers. The program has been seen as a success; ridership grew nearly 38% in the first year and schedule performance improved. The program is relatively new, but seems to be performing well.
* '''Breckenridge Free Ride''' - Breckenridge, CO is a ski resort town with a population of just a couple thousand people, but 50,000 visitors a weekend during peak season. The city set up a fare-free transit system to ease tourist congestion and help residents get around. Free Ride had 670,000 riders in 2009. Operational expenses come out of the town's general fund. This has worked so far but is susceptible to economic downtown, so the town is looking for new funding mechanisms. Ridership is steadily growing, and strict anti-loitering rules keep the buses moving smoothly.
* '''Link Transit''' - Washington State's Link Transit is a larger rural system serving 105,000 people over and area of 3,500 miles. It currently operates 55 buses and 22 paratransit vehicles with a budget of $11 million per year. It was established in 1989 and had no problems operating fare-free for the next decade. However, in 1999 voters eliminated the motor vehicle excise tax that had provided Link Transit with most of its funding. The agency lost 45% of its operating revenue and was forced to charge fares. The conservative area had never fully embraced the fare-free system. The current fares account for 6% of operating expenses and disproportionately effect minorities and the elderly.
* '''San Francisco Municipal Railway''' - In 2008, San Francisco Muni conducted a study on the cost-effectiveness of a fare-free system. The study concluded that Muni would see increased operating expenses and capital investments, even though the costs of fare collection would be eliminated. Muni would need an additional $184 million a year for operations, as well as an additional $519 million to procure the vehicles, facilities, and infrastructure needed to accommodate the ridership increase. The city abandoned its fare-free plan after seeing the results of the study.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Free-ride-Fat-chance-Muni-fares-will-stay-3229342.php Gordon, R. (2008). "Free Ride? Fat Chance: Muni Fares Will Stay." SFGate.]</ref>
* '''Kansas City''' - In 2019, city officials announced that bus service will be free starting in 2020. The City Council has required that the City government make up the $9 million estimated will be lost due to the elimination of fares.<ref>[https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/12/09/kansas-city-moves-ahead-with-free-buses/ Short, Aaron. (2019). "Kansas City Moves Ahead With Free Buses." Streetsblog USA.]</ref>
''Globally''
* '''Tallinn, Estonia''' - Tallinn eliminated all fares for transit taken by registered city residents in 2013. Although this fee elimination did not significantly impact congestion, research suggests that mobility may have particularly improved for lower-income residents (measured in terms of the number of trips), although not necessarily leading to greater access to employment.<ref>Oded Cats, Yusak O. Susilo, and Triin Reimal, “The prospects of fare-free public transport: evidence from Tallinn,” ''Transportation'' 44, no. 5 (2017): 1083–104.</ref> There is some evidence that the introduction of fare-free transit caused a reduction in average trip length (of roughly 10%), which could suggest that riders are replacing trips previously made by walking or biking with transit.<ref name=":0">[https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190128-the-cost-of-luxembourgs-free-public-transport-plan Auxenfants, Marc. (2019). "The cost of Luxembourg's free public transport plan." BBC.]</ref>
* '''Luxembourg''' - The nation of Luxembourg will make all public transit free starting as of March, 2020. Fares currently represent a small part of the overall operating costs of the system, totaling 41 million Euros, or less than 10% of the 491 million Euro operating costs. Although the nation does expect some benefits with respect to reduced congestion and emissions, the Minister for Mobility and Public Works, François Bausch, has said that the initiative, "is primarily a social measure...the objective is to stop the deepening gap between rich and poor. For people on low wages, transport expenses matter. Therefore it is easier to make it free for everyone."<ref name=":0" />

==References==
<references />

==Additional Reading==
Cervero, Robert. [http://www.springerlink.com/index/r52126220g7t501.pdf| "Flat versus differentiated pricing: What's a fair fare?"] 1981.
: Cervero explores the efficiency and equity of different pricing structure by comparing transit fares and the cost to provide service. He finds that flat fare structures generally result in short-distance, off-peak riders subsidizing long-distance, peak hour customers. A subscription is required to access this article.

Transit Cooperative Research Program. [http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_94.pdf| "Fare Policies, Structures, and Technologies: Update."] 2003.
:The Federal Transit Administration commissioned this report to identify and evaluate different approaches to fare policy, structure, and collection technologies, with special consideration given to the customer benefits and challenges and equity concerns of each approach.

Transit Cooperative Research Program. [http://www.trb.org/publications/tcrp/tcrp_rpt_95c12.pdf| "Transit Pricing and Fares: Traveler Response to Transportation System Changes."] 2004.
: This document summarizes literature on ridership changes in response to different fare adjustments, including the introduction of variable fares and differentiating peak and off-peak fares. Few studies explore the relationship between transitioning to differential pricing and ridership levels.

The Transit App

2019-12-10T20:58:19Z

Dlcomeaux: Updating links

“Transit App”<ref>http://www.transitapp.com</ref> is an iOS and Android application that provides routing based on scheduled information, and real-time arrival estimates, for cities that provide data. As of December 2019, “Transit” supports over 110 cities in the United States, and approximately 100 elsewhere worldwide (with half in Canada and the remainder concentrated in Europe)<ref>http://www.transitapp.com/region</ref>. Real-time information is not available for every city. The “backend” server application is based on OpenTripPlanner.

[[Category:GTFS-consuming applications]]
[[Category:Mobile applications]]
<references />

The Transit App

2019-12-10T20:57:07Z

Dlcomeaux: updating statistics

“Transit App”<ref>transitapp.com</ref> is an iOS and Android application that provides routing based on scheduled information, and real-time arrival estimates, for cities that provide data. As of December 2019, “Transit” supports over 110 cities in the United States, and approximately 100 elsewhere worldwide (with half in Canada and the remainder concentrated in Europe)<ref>http://www.transitapp.com/region</ref>. Real-time information is not available for every city. The “backend” server application is based on OpenTripPlanner.

[[Category:GTFS-consuming applications]]
[[Category:Mobile applications]]

General Transit Feed Specification

2019-12-02T18:12:21Z

Dlcomeaux: /* Origins & history */ Adding updated information on number of public GTFS feeds in the US and globally

[[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. 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. GTFS datasets are used in a variety of types of applications, including trip planners such as Google Maps, mobile applications, timetable generation software, tools for transit planning and operations analysis, and other categories of applications outlined in this article.

[[File:GTFS data model diagram.PNG|framed|right|GTFS data model diagram]]

==Origins & history==
[http://trimet.org TriMet] in Portland, Oregon was one of the first public agencies to try and tackle the problem of online transit trip planners through the use of open datasets that are shared with the general public. In 2005, TriMet approached Google, as well as a few other driving trip planner vendors, and asked if they had any plans on incorporating transit in their trip planners based on public TriMet data<ref>Matthew Roth. (2012). "How Google and Portland’s TriMet Set the Standard for Open Transit Data." SF.STREETSBLOG.ORG. January 5, 2010. Accessed: from http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/01/05/how-google-and-portlands-trimet-set-the-standard-for-open-transit-data/</ref>. Google was the only vendor to reply to TriMet’s request. TriMet and Google then decided to team up to implement one of the first transit trip planners in Portland.

One of the first issues that TriMet and Google faced was the problem of sustainable data – in order to provide quality trips, the trip planner would need quality transit schedule, route, and stop data in an electronic format that was constantly up-to-date. TriMet worked with Google to format their transit data into an easily maintainable and consumable format that could be imported into Google Maps. This transit data format became known as the Google Transit Feed Specification (GTFS)<ref>Google, Inc. "General Transit Feed Specification Reference." Accessed February 24, 2012 from http://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs/reference</ref>. In 2005, this trip planning service was launched as Google Transit<ref>Matthew Roth. (2012). "How Google and Portland’s TriMet Set the Standard for Open Transit Data." SF.STREETSBLOG.ORG. January 5, 2010. Accessed: from http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/01/05/how-google-and-portlands-trimet-set-the-standard-for-open-transit-data/</ref>.

After a successful launch with TriMet, Google Transit offered their trip planner service for free to any agency that formatted and maintained their data in the GTFS format. In 2006, five more agencies were added. Google Transit’s success continued as more and more agencies wanted access to a free trip planner, and were willing to put their data into the GTFS format to get it.

Since its creation in 2005, GTFS has become the most popularly-used data format to describe fixed-route transit services in the world. Many agencies have decided to share their GTFS data openly with the public, while others choose to restrict access only to select partners (e.g., Google Maps). As of January 15, 2016, there were an estimated 1026 transit agencies worldwide, including 864 transit agencies in the U.S., that share their GTFS data openly with the general public<ref>Front Seat Management, LLC. "City-Go-Round." Accessed January 15, 2016 from http://www.citygoround.org/agencies/</ref>. As of December 2, 2019, OpenMobilityData lists 1233 providers with publicly accessible GTFS feeds, 465 of which are in the United States<ref><nowiki>https://openmobilitydata.org/feeds</nowiki></ref>. As of August 20, 2015, Google lists approximately 5900 agencies around the world for Google Transit coverage<ref>Google, Inc. "Transit – Google Maps." Accessed August 20, 2015 from http://maps.google.com/landing/transit/cities/index.html</ref>, however, some of this transit information is probably derived from sources other than GTFS.

Even though many transit agencies created GTFS feeds with the primary purpose of benefiting from the free Google Transit trip planner, application developers, often not affiliated with the agency or Google, quickly realized that they could also create many new types of services based on the same GTFS transit data.

As a result of third-party developer innovation, GTFS data is now being used by a variety of third-party software applications for many different purposes, including trip planning, maps, timetable creation, mobile data, visualization, accessibility, analysis tools for planning, and real-time information systems. In 2010, the GTFS format name was changed to the General Transit Feed Specification<ref>Joe Hughes, gtfs-changes list, "Spec update for January 11, 2010." https://groups.google.com/d/topic/gtfs-changes/iC18a8NY6N4/discussion</ref> to accurately represent its use in many different applications outside of Google products.

==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<ref>[https://www.dropbox.com/s/jq2ko64j2eth5mt/The%20Many%20Uses%20of%20GTFS%20Data%20%E2%80%93%20Opening%20the%20Door%20to%20Transit%20Applications-postTRB4%20-%20changes%20accepted.docx?dl=0 The Many Uses of GTFS Data]</ref>.

===Creating and Maintaining a GTFS Dataset===
Before transit agencies can benefit from Google Transit and many other transit applications, they must create and disseminate their data in the GTFS format. First, agencies should understand the GTFS format, and determine how their data will fit into this format. Second, 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.

*'''In-House'''
:If the agency has sufficient in-house technical expertise, they may wish to produce and maintain the GTFS feed themselves. Several of the industry-standard scheduling software packages from vendors such as Trapeze<ref>[http://www.trapezegroup.com/ Trapeze Group Limited]</ref>, HASTUS<ref>[http://www.giro.ca/en/products/hastus/index.htm Giro, Inc. "HASTUS - Transit scheduling and operations."]</ref> , Connexionz<ref>[http://www.connexionz.us/home Connexionz Limited. "Smart Transit Solutions."]</ref>, and TripSpark (formerly Mentor Engineering)<ref>[http://www.tripspark.com/ Mentor Engineering. "TripSpark."]</ref> can often export agency data into the GTFS format, facilitating the GTFS creation & maintenance process. However, agencies should not necessarily assume that the output of these tools produces perfect GTFS data, as agencies have indicated that they often still need to perform manual data processing on the GTFS data exported from these tools before it will be acceptable for application use<ref>[http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34000/34053/FDOT_BDK85_977-12_rpt.pdf Sean Barbeau, Nevine Labib Georggi, and Philip Winters (2010). "Travel Assistance Device (TAD) -- Deployment to Transit Agencies," National Center for Transit Research.]</ref>.

:For agencies who do not have access to sophisticated scheduling software, there are a variety of open-source and vendor-based tools that can be used for creating and maintaining GTFS data. One free spreadsheet-based tool is the Excel Toolkit “GTFS Builder” by the National Rural Transit Assistance Program <ref>[https://www.nationalrtap.org/Web-Apps/GTFS-Builder "National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP) GTFS Builder."]</ref>. OpenPlans, a nonprofit 501(c)3 that produces open-source civic software, started an open-source web-based GTFS Editing Tool that is now maintained by [[Conveyal]]<ref>[https://github.com/conveyal/gtfs-editor Conveyal. "GTFS Editor."]</ref>. For agencies without high-quality bus stop inventories, the open-source GTFS-OpenStreetMap Synchronization tool (GO-Sync) can help leverage crowd-sourced improvements of their GTFS bus stop inventory<ref>[https://github.com/CUTR-at-USF/gtfs-osm-sync Khoa Tran, Edward L. Hillsman, S. Barbeau, and M. A. Labrador (2011), "GO-Sync- A Framework to Synchronize Crowd-Sourced Mapping Contributions from Online Communities and Transit Agency Bus Stop Inventories," in ITS World Congress, Orlando, Florida, USA, October 16, 2011.]</ref>. The open-source mobile app [[TransitWand]] can also help when in the data collection process when creating a new GTFS dataset. There are also many educational resources available online from the transit developer community for agencies interested in creating a GTFS feed<ref>[http://code.google.com/p/googletransitdatafeed/wiki/OtherGTFSTools Google Transit Data Feed. "Other GTFS Tools."]</ref> <ref>[https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/google-transit-partner-support Google, Inc. "Google Transit Partner Support Google Group."]</ref>. Remix<ref>[http://getremix.com/ Get Remix Team. "Get Remix"]</ref> is a product for quickly sketching out transit routes and generating GTFS data. TransLoc offers their web-based GTFS tool, TransLoc Architect<ref>[http://pages.transloc.com/architect-beta-signup/ TransLoc. "TransLoc Architect"]</ref>, to agencies for free. A list of vendors that provide self-service products and services for GTFS creation and maintenance can be found [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Gc9mu4BIYC8ORpv2IbbVnT3q8VQ3xkeY7Hz068vT_GQ/pubhtml here]. If you'd like to add a vendor/product to this list, please use [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XZl1cHDh9NUl9r7Eq-j9RuwVJlfjgPE8IBOb54oe138/viewform this form].

In order to create and maintain GTFS, it is necessary to develop an understanding of the specification. Several [[GTFS training materials]] are available.

GTFS leaves many options available for how to describe transit services. See [[best practices for creating GTFS]] for recommendations on how to form GTFS datasets that will provide the best results in applications.

*'''Outsource'''
:Vendors such as Trillium Solutions, Inc.<ref>[http://trilliumtransit.com/gtfs/ Trillium Solutions, Inc.]</ref>, TransitEditor<ref>[http://www.transiteditor.com/index.php?q=en/home TransitEditor. "TransitEditor."]</ref>, and Next Insight Transportation Software<ref>[http://nextinsight.com/services.php Next Insight Transportation Software. "Conductor."]</ref> provide tools and services that can aid agencies in formatting and maintaining their data in GTFS format, ranging from online tools that are operated by the agency to a full service model where the vendor creates the GTFS data for the agency. A list of vendors that provide full-service products and services for GTFS creation and maintenance can be found [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Gc9mu4BIYC8ORpv2IbbVnT3q8VQ3xkeY7Hz068vT_GQ/pubhtml here]. If you'd like to add a vendor/product to this list, please use [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XZl1cHDh9NUl9r7Eq-j9RuwVJlfjgPE8IBOb54oe138/viewform this form].

:The cost for a transit agency to hire a vendor or consultant to create GTFS data is usually around $200-$500 per route, depending on the level of effort required<ref>[http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/Docs-Pdfs/CoordinatedPlng/google.feasibility.study.pdf Northern California Google Transit Feasibility Study] </ref>. Level of effort is determined by the number of stops, complexity and variation of the routes and schedules, and the availability and quality of existing stop location, schedule, and route alignment data.

===Disseminating GTFS Data===
See [[GTFS Data Dissemination]] for a more detailed overview.

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. '''[[:Category:GTFS-consuming applications]] is directory of applications that utilize GTFS data for various purposes.'''
*'''Trip planning and maps'''
:There are a variety of applications that assist a transit customer in planning a trip from one location to another using public transportation. These provide step-by-step information on how to use various transportation options to reach a custom destination. See [[:Category:Trip-planning & navigation applications]]
*'''Timetable creation'''
:There are applications that create a printable list of the agency’s schedule in a timetable format. They can also take the form of an HTML friendly or plain-text timetable. See [[:Category:Timetable generation software]]
*'''Data visualization'''
:Various applications provide graphic visualizations of transit routes, stops, and schedule data. They can provide details such as the walkability, the quality of public transportation serving the area, and relate those factors to a third criteria specific to the service (i.e. apartments available in the area.) See [[:Category:Data Visualization applications]]
*'''Accessibility'''
:These include applications that assist transit riders with disabilities in using public transportation. See [[:Category:Accessibility devices and applications]]
*'''Real-time transit information'''
:These applications that use GTFS data along with a real-time information source to provide estimated arrival information to transit riders. Newer formats, such as [[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]]. See [[:Category:Real-time applications]]

===GTFS Extensions===

Additional fields can be added to GTFS datasets to accommodate a variety of application-specific needs, even if these fields are not in the official specification. The following are documented examples of the GTFS spec being extended:

*'''[https://support.google.com/transitpartners/answer/2450962 Google Extensions to GTFS]''' - Includes fields for multi-agency fare attributes, maximum transfer counts per fare, additional route types, station vehicle types, station entrances, station platforms, translations, and route-to-route and trip-to-trip transfers.
*'''[https://github.com/osplanning-data-standards/GTFS-PLUS GTFS-Plus]''' - A GTFS-based data transit network data standard suitable for dynamic transit modeling.
* '''[https://groups.google.com/d/msg/gtfs-changes/TnQ80dVYA1g/DUsAT1moBAAJ Extra files for GTFS-to-HTML]''' - timetables.txt, timetable_stop_order.txt, route_pages.txt, route_page_assoc.txt] - A set of five files that are used to produce HTML timetables from GTFS datasets by the [[GTFS-to-HTML]] open-source software.
* '''[[http://www.transitwiki.org/TransitWiki/images/e/e7/GTFS%2B_Additional_Files_Format_Ver_1.7.pdf GTFS+]] in use by the SF Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission''' - Set of extra files that define discounted fares, stop attributes, and other information.
*'''[https://developer.trimet.org/gtfs_ext.shtml TriMet Extensions to GTFS]''' - Includes fields for bike_policy_url, feed_id, realtime_feeds info, route_sort_order, and continuous_stops.
*'''[[GTFS-to-HTML]]''' software utilizes extra GTFS tables to configure the construction of timetables from GTFS schedule data, documented on the project github site.
*'''[https://github.com/ODOT-PTS/GTFS-ride GTFS-ride]''' - A GTFS-based ridership data standard.

===Best practices===

See the [[Best practices for creating GTFS]] page for links to GTFS best practices documentation.

==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.

General Transit Feed Specification

2019-11-25T21:20:00Z

Dlcomeaux: /* The Many Uses of GTFS Data--A Summary */ Changed link placements for consistency + minor grammar fixes.

[[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. 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. GTFS datasets are used in a variety of types of applications, including trip planners such as Google Maps, mobile applications, timetable generation software, tools for transit planning and operations analysis, and other categories of applications outlined in this article.

[[File:GTFS data model diagram.PNG|framed|right|GTFS data model diagram]]

==Origins & history==
[http://trimet.org TriMet] in Portland, Oregon was one of the first public agencies to try and tackle the problem of online transit trip planners through the use of open datasets that are shared with the general public. In 2005, TriMet approached Google, as well as a few other driving trip planner vendors, and asked if they had any plans on incorporating transit in their trip planners based on public TriMet data<ref>Matthew Roth. (2012). "How Google and Portland’s TriMet Set the Standard for Open Transit Data." SF.STREETSBLOG.ORG. January 5, 2010. Accessed: from http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/01/05/how-google-and-portlands-trimet-set-the-standard-for-open-transit-data/</ref>. Google was the only vendor to reply to TriMet’s request. TriMet and Google then decided to team up to implement one of the first transit trip planners in Portland.

One of the first issues that TriMet and Google faced was the problem of sustainable data – in order to provide quality trips, the trip planner would need quality transit schedule, route, and stop data in an electronic format that was constantly up-to-date. TriMet worked with Google to format their transit data into an easily maintainable and consumable format that could be imported into Google Maps. This transit data format became known as the Google Transit Feed Specification (GTFS)<ref>Google, Inc. "General Transit Feed Specification Reference." Accessed February 24, 2012 from http://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs/reference</ref>. In 2005, this trip planning service was launched as Google Transit<ref>Matthew Roth. (2012). "How Google and Portland’s TriMet Set the Standard for Open Transit Data." SF.STREETSBLOG.ORG. January 5, 2010. Accessed: from http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/01/05/how-google-and-portlands-trimet-set-the-standard-for-open-transit-data/</ref>.

After a successful launch with TriMet, Google Transit offered their trip planner service for free to any agency that formatted and maintained their data in the GTFS format. In 2006, five more agencies were added. Google Transit’s success continued as more and more agencies wanted access to a free trip planner, and were willing to put their data into the GTFS format to get it.

Since its creation in 2005, GTFS has become the most popularly-used data format to describe fixed-route transit services in the world. Many agencies have decided to share their GTFS data openly with the public, while others choose to restrict access only to select partners (e.g., Google Maps). As of January 15, 2016, there were are an estimated 1026 transit agencies worldwide, including 864 transit agencies in the U.S., that share their GTFS data openly with the general public<ref>Front Seat Management, LLC. "City-Go-Round." Accessed January 15, 2016 from http://www.citygoround.org/agencies/</ref>. As of August 20, 2015, Google lists approximately 5900 agencies around the world for Google Transit coverage<ref>Google, Inc. "Transit – Google Maps." Accessed August 20, 2015 from http://maps.google.com/landing/transit/cities/index.html</ref>, however, some of this transit information is probably derived from sources other than GTFS.

Even though many transit agencies created GTFS feeds with the primary purpose of benefiting from the free Google Transit trip planner, application developers, often not affiliated with the agency or Google, quickly realized that they could also create many new types of services based on the same GTFS transit data.

As a result of third-party developer innovation, GTFS data is now being used by a variety of third-party software applications for many different purposes, including trip planning, maps, timetable creation, mobile data, visualization, accessibility, analysis tools for planning, and real-time information systems. In 2010, the GTFS format name was changed to the General Transit Feed Specification<ref>Joe Hughes, gtfs-changes list, "Spec update for January 11, 2010." https://groups.google.com/d/topic/gtfs-changes/iC18a8NY6N4/discussion</ref> to accurately represent its use in many different applications outside of Google products.

==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<ref>[https://www.dropbox.com/s/jq2ko64j2eth5mt/The%20Many%20Uses%20of%20GTFS%20Data%20%E2%80%93%20Opening%20the%20Door%20to%20Transit%20Applications-postTRB4%20-%20changes%20accepted.docx?dl=0 The Many Uses of GTFS Data]</ref>.

===Creating and Maintaining a GTFS Dataset===
Before transit agencies can benefit from Google Transit and many other transit applications, they must create and disseminate their data in the GTFS format. First, agencies should understand the GTFS format, and determine how their data will fit into this format. Second, 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.

*'''In-House'''
:If the agency has sufficient in-house technical expertise, they may wish to produce and maintain the GTFS feed themselves. Several of the industry-standard scheduling software packages from vendors such as Trapeze<ref>[http://www.trapezegroup.com/ Trapeze Group Limited]</ref>, HASTUS<ref>[http://www.giro.ca/en/products/hastus/index.htm Giro, Inc. "HASTUS - Transit scheduling and operations."]</ref> , Connexionz<ref>[http://www.connexionz.us/home Connexionz Limited. "Smart Transit Solutions."]</ref>, and TripSpark (formerly Mentor Engineering)<ref>[http://www.tripspark.com/ Mentor Engineering. "TripSpark."]</ref> can often export agency data into the GTFS format, facilitating the GTFS creation & maintenance process. However, agencies should not necessarily assume that the output of these tools produces perfect GTFS data, as agencies have indicated that they often still need to perform manual data processing on the GTFS data exported from these tools before it will be acceptable for application use<ref>[http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/34000/34000/34053/FDOT_BDK85_977-12_rpt.pdf Sean Barbeau, Nevine Labib Georggi, and Philip Winters (2010). "Travel Assistance Device (TAD) -- Deployment to Transit Agencies," National Center for Transit Research.]</ref>.

:For agencies who do not have access to sophisticated scheduling software, there are a variety of open-source and vendor-based tools that can be used for creating and maintaining GTFS data. One free spreadsheet-based tool is the Excel Toolkit “GTFS Builder” by the National Rural Transit Assistance Program <ref>[https://www.nationalrtap.org/Web-Apps/GTFS-Builder "National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP) GTFS Builder."]</ref>. OpenPlans, a nonprofit 501(c)3 that produces open-source civic software, started an open-source web-based GTFS Editing Tool that is now maintained by [[Conveyal]]<ref>[https://github.com/conveyal/gtfs-editor Conveyal. "GTFS Editor."]</ref>. For agencies without high-quality bus stop inventories, the open-source GTFS-OpenStreetMap Synchronization tool (GO-Sync) can help leverage crowd-sourced improvements of their GTFS bus stop inventory<ref>[https://github.com/CUTR-at-USF/gtfs-osm-sync Khoa Tran, Edward L. Hillsman, S. Barbeau, and M. A. Labrador (2011), "GO-Sync- A Framework to Synchronize Crowd-Sourced Mapping Contributions from Online Communities and Transit Agency Bus Stop Inventories," in ITS World Congress, Orlando, Florida, USA, October 16, 2011.]</ref>. The open-source mobile app [[TransitWand]] can also help when in the data collection process when creating a new GTFS dataset. There are also many educational resources available online from the transit developer community for agencies interested in creating a GTFS feed<ref>[http://code.google.com/p/googletransitdatafeed/wiki/OtherGTFSTools Google Transit Data Feed. "Other GTFS Tools."]</ref> <ref>[https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/google-transit-partner-support Google, Inc. "Google Transit Partner Support Google Group."]</ref>. Remix<ref>[http://getremix.com/ Get Remix Team. "Get Remix"]</ref> is a product for quickly sketching out transit routes and generating GTFS data. TransLoc offers their web-based GTFS tool, TransLoc Architect<ref>[http://pages.transloc.com/architect-beta-signup/ TransLoc. "TransLoc Architect"]</ref>, to agencies for free. A list of vendors that provide self-service products and services for GTFS creation and maintenance can be found [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Gc9mu4BIYC8ORpv2IbbVnT3q8VQ3xkeY7Hz068vT_GQ/pubhtml here]. If you'd like to add a vendor/product to this list, please use [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XZl1cHDh9NUl9r7Eq-j9RuwVJlfjgPE8IBOb54oe138/viewform this form].

In order to create and maintain GTFS, it is necessary to develop an understanding of the specification. Several [[GTFS training materials]] are available.

GTFS leaves many options available for how to describe transit services. See [[best practices for creating GTFS]] for recommendations on how to form GTFS datasets that will provide the best results in applications.

*'''Outsource'''
:Vendors such as Trillium Solutions, Inc.<ref>[http://trilliumtransit.com/gtfs/ Trillium Solutions, Inc.]</ref>, TransitEditor<ref>[http://www.transiteditor.com/index.php?q=en/home TransitEditor. "TransitEditor."]</ref>, and Next Insight Transportation Software<ref>[http://nextinsight.com/services.php Next Insight Transportation Software. "Conductor."]</ref> provide tools and services that can aid agencies in formatting and maintaining their data in GTFS format, ranging from online tools that are operated by the agency to a full service model where the vendor creates the GTFS data for the agency. A list of vendors that provide full-service products and services for GTFS creation and maintenance can be found [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Gc9mu4BIYC8ORpv2IbbVnT3q8VQ3xkeY7Hz068vT_GQ/pubhtml here]. If you'd like to add a vendor/product to this list, please use [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XZl1cHDh9NUl9r7Eq-j9RuwVJlfjgPE8IBOb54oe138/viewform this form].

:The cost for a transit agency to hire a vendor or consultant to create GTFS data is usually around $200-$500 per route, depending on the level of effort required<ref>[http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/Docs-Pdfs/CoordinatedPlng/google.feasibility.study.pdf Northern California Google Transit Feasibility Study] </ref>. Level of effort is determined by the number of stops, complexity and variation of the routes and schedules, and the availability and quality of existing stop location, schedule, and route alignment data.

===Disseminating GTFS Data===
See [[GTFS Data Dissemination]] for a more detailed overview.

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. '''[[:Category:GTFS-consuming applications]] is directory of applications that utilize GTFS data for various purposes.'''
*'''Trip planning and maps'''
:There are a variety of applications that assist a transit customer in planning a trip from one location to another using public transportation. These provide step-by-step information on how to use various transportation options to reach a custom destination. See [[:Category:Trip-planning & navigation applications]]
*'''Timetable creation'''
:There are applications that create a printable list of the agency’s schedule in a timetable format. They can also take the form of an HTML friendly or plain-text timetable. See [[:Category:Timetable generation software]]
*'''Data visualization'''
:Various applications provide graphic visualizations of transit routes, stops, and schedule data. They can provide details such as the walkability, the quality of public transportation serving the area, and relate those factors to a third criteria specific to the service (i.e. apartments available in the area.) See [[:Category:Data Visualization applications]]
*'''Accessibility'''
:These include applications that assist transit riders with disabilities in using public transportation. See [[:Category:Accessibility devices and applications]]
*'''Real-time transit information'''
:These applications that use GTFS data along with a real-time information source to provide estimated arrival information to transit riders. Newer formats, such as [[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]]. See [[:Category:Real-time applications]]

===GTFS Extensions===

Additional fields can be added to GTFS datasets to accommodate a variety of application-specific needs, even if these fields are not in the official specification. The following are documented examples of the GTFS spec being extended:

*'''[https://support.google.com/transitpartners/answer/2450962 Google Extensions to GTFS]''' - Includes fields for multi-agency fare attributes, maximum transfer counts per fare, additional route types, station vehicle types, station entrances, station platforms, translations, and route-to-route and trip-to-trip transfers.
*'''[https://github.com/osplanning-data-standards/GTFS-PLUS GTFS-Plus]''' - A GTFS-based data transit network data standard suitable for dynamic transit modeling.
* '''[https://groups.google.com/d/msg/gtfs-changes/TnQ80dVYA1g/DUsAT1moBAAJ Extra files for GTFS-to-HTML]''' - timetables.txt, timetable_stop_order.txt, route_pages.txt, route_page_assoc.txt] - A set of five files that are used to produce HTML timetables from GTFS datasets by the [[GTFS-to-HTML]] open-source software.
* '''[[http://www.transitwiki.org/TransitWiki/images/e/e7/GTFS%2B_Additional_Files_Format_Ver_1.7.pdf GTFS+]] in use by the SF Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission''' - Set of extra files that define discounted fares, stop attributes, and other information.
*'''[https://developer.trimet.org/gtfs_ext.shtml TriMet Extensions to GTFS]''' - Includes fields for bike_policy_url, feed_id, realtime_feeds info, route_sort_order, and continuous_stops.
*'''[[GTFS-to-HTML]]''' software utilizes extra GTFS tables to configure the construction of timetables from GTFS schedule data, documented on the project github site.
*'''[https://github.com/ODOT-PTS/GTFS-ride GTFS-ride]''' - A GTFS-based ridership data standard.

===Best practices===

See the [[Best practices for creating GTFS]] page for links to GTFS best practices documentation.

==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.

GTFS-realtime

2019-11-25T21:11:38Z

Dlcomeaux: /* Applications that consume GTFS-realtime data */ Fixing broken link and adding additional app

===Definition===

''from Google's [https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs-realtime/ "What is GTFS-realtime?" guide]:''

GTFS-realtime is a feed specification that allows public transportation agencies to provide realtime updates about their fleet to application developers. It is an extension to GTFS ([[General Transit Feed Specification]]), an open data format for public transportation schedules and associated geographic information. GTFS-realtime was designed around ease of implementation, good GTFS interoperability and a focus on passenger information.

The specification was designed through a partnership of the initial Live Transit Updates partner agencies, a number of transit developers and Google. The specification is published under the Apache 2.0 License.<ref>https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs-realtime/</ref>

===Components of GTFS-realtime===
* [https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs-realtime/guides/trip-updates Trip Updates] - Predictions of when the vehicle will arrive
* [https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs-realtime/guides/vehicle-positions Vehicle Positions] - Locations of vehicles
* [https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs-realtime/guides/service-alerts Service Alerts] - Notifications to users that there is a disruption in the network

===How to provide GTFS-realtime===
This is a stub section that needs to be developed.

===Applications that consume GTFS-realtime data===
''List is not comprehensive''
* [[Google Maps]]
* [[OpenTripPlanner]]
* [[OneBusAway]]
* [[Bing Maps]]
* [[The Transit App|Transit App]]
* [[Traze.app]]
* CityMapper

===GTFS-realtime validation===

As of March 2017, there is no official public validation tool either endorsed by the GTFS-realtime community or provided by Google that validates that a GTFS-realtime feed contents are correct.

However, a [https://github.com/CUTR-at-USF/gtfs-realtime-validator GTFS-realtime validation tool] is currently under development at the [https://www.cutr.usf.edu/ Center for Urban Transportation Research] at the [http://www.usf.edu/ University of South Florida] as part of a [http://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/ National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC)]-funded, based on early work from a 2015 Google Summer of Code project.

[[Category:GIS]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Open data]]
<references />

Google Maps

2019-11-25T20:58:49Z

Dlcomeaux: Removed outdated information on Google Maps and iOS.

{{infobox
|title=Google Maps
|image= Google Maps-Logo.png
|image_size= 130px
|vendor= Google [https://www.google.com/intl/en/about/ https://www.google.com/ intl/en/about/]
|license= Proprietary
|website= [https://www.google.com/maps https://www.google.com/maps]
}}
Google Maps <ref>Google, Inc. "Google Maps for Android." Accessed August 1, 2012 from http://www.google.com/mobile/maps/</ref> contains a transit trip planner, which is available for several devices including Android mobile phones, iPhones, and Blackberries. Features vary by mobile platform. Google Maps for mobile supports location-positioning on all devices that offer GPS features. Google Maps for Android devices offers the most complete feature-set, including a “Transit Navigation” feature that notifies transit passengers when they need to make transfers and alight from the vehicle for their destination.

The Google Maps transit trip planner is currently implemented for most transit agencies that publish GTFS, as Google was the first consumer of the GTFS format. Transit agencies participate through the Google Transit Partner Program <ref>Google, Inc. "Google Transit Partner Program." Accessed August 1, 2012 from http://maps.google.com/help/maps/transit/partners/</ref>, which is cost-free.

Google also provides a Hotel Finder site <ref>Google, Inc. "Hotel Finder experiment." Accessed August 1, 2012 from http://www.google.com/hotelfinder/</ref>, which allows the user to easily find hotels within an estimated transit and walking distance of a chosen location on the map.

Beginning in June 2012, transit information was added to the Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API) <ref>Google, Inc. "The Google Directions API - Transit Details." Accessed August 1, 2012 from https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/directions/#TransitDetails</ref>. This allows third-party applications to query Google’s Directions API for transit directions and other information about transit services.

==References==
[[Category:GTFS-consuming applications]]
[[Category:Mobile applications]]
[[Category:Trip-planning & navigation applications]]
[[Category:Real-time applications]]
<references />