8 ms·

Bay Area Regional GTFS Feed: 31 transit agency feeds together in one API

136 points by wuster 7y ago

BooneJS 7y ago
No ACE train?
- drewda 7y ago
  Sharp eyes! ACE is included in the feed, but we did not include it in the animation. We don't currently have geometries for the route alignment (the train tracks), so we'd be drawing straight lines between the ACE stops — didn't look that great in the GIF, so we left it out. [Note: I'm an Interline staffer]
  - java-man 7y ago
    Send an intern with a logging GPS?
  - robbi5 7y ago
    If you want a quite fast and nice solution for aligning routes, pfaedle[1] is a great tool that creates a gtfs shapes.txt by using open street map train track / street data. [1]: https://github.com/ad-freiburg/pfaedle https://github.com/ad-freiburg/pfaedle
    - drewda 7y ago
      Nice. Thanks for sharing. For what it's worth, this would bring ODbL-licensed data into an output GTFS feed.
  - dublinben 7y ago
    OpenStreetMap appears to have the geometry of this rail line: https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/2845552 https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/2845552 https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/9599549 https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/9599549
paxys 7y ago
On one hand, this is a great effort and I'm sure will help commuters a ton. But on the other, why on earth does the bay area have 31+ different transit agencies??
- romwell 7y ago
  To ensure that we will never have a viable public transportation network that can make high-density mixed-use walkable urban environments possible.
- opportune 7y ago
  If it actually worked well, people might use it, especially the undesirables. It’s also because the Bay Area is stupidly split up into dozens and dozens of small-medium sized municipalities spread over multiple counties. So every little group acts in their own locally optimal, shortsighted interests. Most of the people affected worst by the lack of public transportation and housing can’t vote in the areas that can actually fix the problem. I’ve been thinking the past couple of years you should be able to vote in local elections in the area you work in, even if you don’t live there.
  - jcims 7y ago
    >I’ve been thinking the past couple of years you should be able to vote in local elections in the area you work in, even if you don’t live there. Makes sense to me, especially if you are paying local income taxes in that area. I seem to recall from high school that 'taxation without representation' caused a big kerfluffle a couple hundred years ago.
    - opportune 7y ago
      I don’t think there are local income taxes (at least visible to the employee) but they are IMO a part of the community, pay taxes indirectly (property taxes where they work, sales taxes, etc.) and should have a say because of that.
      - 7y ago
johnl1479 7y ago
Curious why the line to Sacramento (upper right) is considered the Bay Area.
- rickety-gherkin 7y ago
  I think because it's an everyday commuter line. Unfortunately there are really limited options but I do know a few people that make the commute.
- mjg59 7y ago
  The Capitol Corridor runs through the East Bay to San Jose, so it's used by a number of bay area commuters.
lilyball 7y ago
The article didn't explain what a GTFS feed was, and my first thought was it's a "Get The Fuck Somewhere feed". Turns out it's General Transit Feed Specification.
- et-al 7y ago
  Fun fact: GTFS used to be Google Transit Feed Specification: https://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/01/05/how-google-and-portlands-trimet-set-the-standard-for-open-transit-data/ https://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/01/05/how-google-and-portlan...
- paxys 7y ago
  I like yours better
- bytematic 7y ago
  It has all the bus stops and times for applications to use. Metros usually generate them to send to google for their app but they sometimes also publish them online for people to use.
aftbit 7y ago
I just tried to sign up and got directed here: https://511.org/open-data/transit https://511.org/open-data/transit It looks like the bulk data feeds are available but the APIs are not. I am particularly interested in: Real-time Vehicle Monitoring (SIRI) Real-time Vehicle Monitoring API provides information about current location and expected activities of a vehicle in XML and JSON formats. Endpoint: http://api.511.org/transit/TBD Allowable parameters: api_key (mandatory) and TBD Also, looks like there's an error in "GTFS-Realtime Vehicle Positions" description - it claims: GTFS-Realtime Trip Updates provides real-time updates on the vehicle positions for an agency in the Protocol Buffer format.
pabs3 7y ago
I note that OpenStreetMap apparently has tags for mapping between OSM nodes and GTFS. I wonder how much GTFS data gets imported into OSM. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/General_Transit_Feed_Specification https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/General_Transit_Feed_Spe...
1234560 7y ago
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jnathsf 7y ago
This partnership came about through a streamlined procurement mechanism called challenge-based procurement. Instead of months to issue an RFP it takes days and for bidders only hours to respond. If you want to learn more about how we’re helping cities work with innovative startups https://cityinnovate.com https://cityinnovate.com (we’re hiring)

136 points by wuster 7y ago

BooneJS 7y ago

No ACE train?

drewda 7y ago
Sharp eyes! ACE is included in the feed, but we did not include it in the animation. We don't currently have geometries for the route alignment (the train tracks), so we'd be drawing straight lines between the ACE stops — didn't look that great in the GIF, so we left it out. [Note: I'm an Interline staffer]
- java-man 7y ago
  Send an intern with a logging GPS?
- robbi5 7y ago
  If you want a quite fast and nice solution for aligning routes, pfaedle[1] is a great tool that creates a gtfs shapes.txt by using open street map train track / street data. [1]: https://github.com/ad-freiburg/pfaedle https://github.com/ad-freiburg/pfaedle
  - drewda 7y ago
    Nice. Thanks for sharing. For what it's worth, this would bring ODbL-licensed data into an output GTFS feed.
- dublinben 7y ago
  OpenStreetMap appears to have the geometry of this rail line: https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/2845552 https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/2845552 https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/9599549 https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/9599549

paxys 7y ago

On one hand, this is a great effort and I'm sure will help commuters a ton. But on the other, why on earth does the bay area have 31+ different transit agencies??

romwell 7y ago
To ensure that we will never have a viable public transportation network that can make high-density mixed-use walkable urban environments possible.
opportune 7y ago
If it actually worked well, people might use it, especially the undesirables. It’s also because the Bay Area is stupidly split up into dozens and dozens of small-medium sized municipalities spread over multiple counties. So every little group acts in their own locally optimal, shortsighted interests. Most of the people affected worst by the lack of public transportation and housing can’t vote in the areas that can actually fix the problem. I’ve been thinking the past couple of years you should be able to vote in local elections in the area you work in, even if you don’t live there.
- jcims 7y ago
  >I’ve been thinking the past couple of years you should be able to vote in local elections in the area you work in, even if you don’t live there. Makes sense to me, especially if you are paying local income taxes in that area. I seem to recall from high school that 'taxation without representation' caused a big kerfluffle a couple hundred years ago.
  - opportune 7y ago
    I don’t think there are local income taxes (at least visible to the employee) but they are IMO a part of the community, pay taxes indirectly (property taxes where they work, sales taxes, etc.) and should have a say because of that.
    - 7y ago

johnl1479 7y ago

Curious why the line to Sacramento (upper right) is considered the Bay Area.

rickety-gherkin 7y ago
I think because it's an everyday commuter line. Unfortunately there are really limited options but I do know a few people that make the commute.
mjg59 7y ago
The Capitol Corridor runs through the East Bay to San Jose, so it's used by a number of bay area commuters.

lilyball 7y ago

The article didn't explain what a GTFS feed was, and my first thought was it's a "Get The Fuck Somewhere feed". Turns out it's General Transit Feed Specification.

et-al 7y ago
Fun fact: GTFS used to be Google Transit Feed Specification: https://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/01/05/how-google-and-portlands-trimet-set-the-standard-for-open-transit-data/ https://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/01/05/how-google-and-portlan...
paxys 7y ago
I like yours better
bytematic 7y ago
It has all the bus stops and times for applications to use. Metros usually generate them to send to google for their app but they sometimes also publish them online for people to use.

aftbit 7y ago

I just tried to sign up and got directed here: https://511.org/open-data/transit https://511.org/open-data/transit It looks like the bulk data feeds are available but the APIs are not. I am particularly interested in: Real-time Vehicle Monitoring (SIRI) Real-time Vehicle Monitoring API provides information about current location and expected activities of a vehicle in XML and JSON formats. Endpoint: http://api.511.org/transit/TBD Allowable parameters: api_key (mandatory) and TBD Also, looks like there's an error in "GTFS-Realtime Vehicle Positions" description - it claims: GTFS-Realtime Trip Updates provides real-time updates on the vehicle positions for an agency in the Protocol Buffer format.

pabs3 7y ago

I note that OpenStreetMap apparently has tags for mapping between OSM nodes and GTFS. I wonder how much GTFS data gets imported into OSM. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/General_Transit_Feed_Specification https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/General_Transit_Feed_Spe...

1234560 7y ago

thanka sharing with us Preview http://www.healthmenia.com/health-benefits-of-carrots/ http://www.healthmenia.com/health-benefits-of-carrots/

jnathsf 7y ago

This partnership came about through a streamlined procurement mechanism called challenge-based procurement. Instead of months to issue an RFP it takes days and for bidders only hours to respond. If you want to learn more about how we’re helping cities work with innovative startups https://cityinnovate.com https://cityinnovate.com (we’re hiring)