The information displayed on train platforms, bus stops, and mobile apps showing transit schedules and real-time arrivals is crucial for public transit customers. It’s known as the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), and it’s the secret sauce that standardizes route, stop, and schedule information into simple predictions and step-by-step directions. It also underpins service alerts, detours and route changes, accessibility information, and other essential transit details.
Riders expect GTFS to be complete, consistent, and easily accessible in apps such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Transit App. However, creating and maintaining GTFS can be challenging for small to mid-sized transit agencies. What they need is a ready-made solution that transforms various forms of transit service information — including hand-written notes or spreadsheets — into reliable GTFS packages. This allows transit staff with limited resources to focus on operations while ensuring accurate information is promoted and readily available to riders.
“This isn’t 1930,” said Matt Caywood, Co-Founder and CEO of Actionfigure. “You can’t just post a timetable. You have to reach people where they are, and people expect to find [GTFS] information … on screens and on mobile devices.”
In this video interview, Caywood and his colleague, Tony Hudgins, Actionfigure’s Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Strategy, discuss how GTFS underpins modern rider information, what makes it challenging to manage, and where agencies can find help. Topics include:
- The challenges GTFS presents for small and mid-size agencies
- Best practices for using GTFS data effectively
- New features that large transit agencies will add to GTFS
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