DRT Data Specifications Working Group

Introduction

The Demand-Response Transportation Data Specifications Working Group is a collaborative initiative hosted by the National Rural Transit Assistance Program. We bring together public and private stakeholders to share information, discuss challenges, advance best practices, and support the development of technical standards that streamline the coordination of DRT services and improve rider access to convenient travel opportunities. 

 

The working group has grown to over 100 participants in various capacities dedicated to furthering DRT data standards. We focus on data standards and supporting resources and tools relevant to rural and tribal transit agencies (although the data standards and supporting resources and tools reach beyond these geographic areas). 


The working group is helping to inform a DRT Transit Data Standards Resource Directory and supporting capacity building tools.

Transit Data Standards Resource Directory

Why Data Standards?


Data standards are foundational components of a modern transit system. While standards like the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) are already industry staples for fixed-route discovery and trip planning, others, such as the Transactional Data Specification (TDS) are still gaining traction. These other data standards, like the TDS, support different stages of a transit trip—from initial discovery to scheduling, dispatching, payment, trip confirmation, client billing, and reporting. By providing a universal manner to digitally share this information among participating entities, these standards ensure that the technology platforms used by different providers are interoperable and the solutions are replicable. This allows agencies to build upon their existing systems, increasing operational efficiency, avoiding vendor lock-in, and ultimately expanding access for all riders.


See the recently published article to learn more!

Seamless Rides: A Practitioner’s Guide to DRT Data Standards and What They Mean for Your Agency


Reach out to National RTAP if you would like to participate in the GTFS-Flex tool/builder beta release. GTFS-Flex is the data standard to map and share booking rules for Demand Response Transportation service, supporting riders and the discovery of available services.


Get Involved 


Our group meets bi-monthly. To participate, please reach out to our conveners: 


Al Benedict                                                                                           Jana Lynott, AICP

Technology Tools / Community Rides Grant Program Leads               Senior Transportation Planner

National RTAP                                                                                      Independent Transit Consultant       

albenedict@nationalrtap.org                                                             jana@janalynott.com


Working Group Meetings

(New to the group, contact the group facilitators to join!)


Upcoming Meetings


November 2026 

Wednesday, November 18 (2:00 to 3:15 ET)

  • Welcome/Introduction new group members
  • Michigan DOT will give an overview of its report Marketing and Education Budget for Implementation of New Transit Technology. The report addresses the increasing challenges agencies face in adopting new technologies, staffing constraints, and varying technical capacity. The report identifies practical strategies to support the planning, marketing, and implementation of new transit technology solutions. Learn how Michigan DOT is supporting rural transit agencies with ready-to-use tools for planning, funding, and implementing right-sized technology solutions across the state.  The Transit Agency Guidebook is the complimentary interactive resource to support transit agencies when identifying and procuring new technology solutions. 
  • We will Introduce the National RTAP Data Quality GTFS Monitor Report 
  • National RTAP is offering State DOTs a summary report from the GTFS published in the NTD report with a deeper focus on the rider experience and omitted data. Is the link on the NTD matching the agency's website? In the summary monitor report which we will share at the meeting, a state DOT can quickly identify feeds in their state that will expire soon, do not include holidays or ADA accessibility, and rate of shapes coverage shapes for trip variations. What questions would you like answers that may be in GTFS? Let's explore that at the meeting.


January 2027

Tuesday January 26 @ 2:00 - 3:15 PM Eastern (Invite will be sent to working group members after November meeting)


The Denver Regional Council of Governments, in partnership with regional transportation providers and supported by DemandTrans Solutions, has created a Trip Exchange Hub to enable interoperable, “no-wrong door” demand-responsive regional trip coordination for residents ages 60 and older, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and low-income individuals. The Trip Exchange Hub connects for-profit, public transit, non-profit, and volunteer-based service providers, allowing them to electronically refer trips they cannot handle to the exchange, and accept trips posted by others when their capacity allows. Each provider maintains their existing dispatch and scheduling platform. Designed for full automation but with the flexibility for dispatchers to have complete oversight for manual processing and control over when to post and claim tickets. The system handles crucial details such as documenting trip costs, mobility aid requirements, and assistance needs. Denver’s experience highlights the power of commitment and cooperation in strengthening human services transportation and underscores the importance of data specifications in aligning software systems. 


Malorie Miller, Senior Planner and Ride Alliance Program Manager with DRCOG’s Transportation Planning and Operations, will provide a contextual overview of the project including objectives, the players involved, current status, key accomplishments and core institutional challenges. 


Todd Voirol, Chief Technology Officer with DemandTrans Solutions, will demo the platform, highlight how the various systems interoperate, and discuss how data standards could further facilitate interoperability. 



Past Meetings


September 2026

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 - 2:00 to 3:15 Eastern Time

  • Welcome/Introduction new group members
  • Industry Updates
  • Carol Schweiger, President at Schweiger Consulting,  Multimodal Access for All Travelers (MAT) Reservations, Scheduling, Dispatching (RSD) Subcommittee 
  • Sarah Abel, Vice President Innovation Mobility, ITS America, Interoperability Roadmap
  • DRT Service Area Boundaries / GTFS-Flex Builder
  • Marcy Jaffe, National RTAP’s GTFS SME, Transnnovation Inc will demonstrate the newest National RTAP technology tool for rural transit providers. This nimble web based solution creates, modifies and outputs service area boundaries as well as their booking rules standardized as GTFS-Flex. The DRT service area map will be available to publish at an agency's website, including Website Builder (which we will have a short demo on), or other websites using the portable iFrame.


June 2026


  • John Andoh, former Transit Manager for Redding Area Bus Authority (RABA) talked about the recent open-loop payments deployment in Redding, CA and the lessons learned implementing across urban and rural areas. The discussion also touched on the benefits of open-loop payments and how rural communities can get started.




        View the presentation slides here.


March 2026


Comparing and Contrasting DRT Standards:

Santosh Mishra, President & CEO of Flexlynqs, compared and contrasted existing and developing standards, including GTFS-Flex, TDS, GOFS, and TOMP-API.


Access the slides here


USDOT MAT RSD Update:

Carol Schweiger, President, Schweiger Consulting, provided an update on the U.S. DOT Multi-modal Access for All Travelers (MAT) Reservations, Scheduling, and Dispatch (RSD) Sub-committee’s work to date and plans for 2026.


Access the slides here


Updated on June 18, 2026