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Demand responsive services


Flex is a GTFS extension project which was adopted officially into the GTFS specification in March 2024, its aims to facilitate discoverability of Demand Responsive Transportation Services.

The following example demonstrates how to model different demand responsive service use cases using Flex. Please note that the following examples are not necessarily an accurate or complete representation of the agencies’ services.

On-demand services within a single zone

Demand-repsonsive services can operate within a specific zone, allowing riders to book pickups at any point A within the zone and drop-offs at any point B within the same zone. An example of this is the Heartland Express Transit service in Minnesota, USA.

Download Heartland Express example dataset

Define trips

Heartland Express service hours are as follow:

  • Weekdays:
  • 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • 6:15 AM – 5:45 PM (New Ulm zone only)
  • Sunday: 8:00 AM - Noon (New Ulm zone only)

The New Ulm city zone is contained within the Brown County zone. To avoid the "zone overlap constraint" issue, Heartland Express can be defined with four trips:

  • Service in New Ulm zone from 6:15 AM to 8:00 AM on weekdays.
  • County-wide service from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays.
  • Service in New Ulm zone from 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM on weekdays.
  • Service in New Ulm zone from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Sundays.

trips.txt

route_id service_id trip_id
74362 c_67295_b_77497_d_31 t_5374945_b_77497_tn_0
74362 c_67295_b_77497_d_31 t_5374946_b_77497_tn_0
74362 c_67295_b_77497_d_31 t_5374944_b_77497_tn_0
74362 c_67295_b_77497_d_64 t_5374947_b_77497_tn_0

service_id = c_67295_b_77497_d_31 refers to weekdays, service_id = c_67295_b_77497_d_64 refers to Sunday.

Define zone (GeoJSON locations)

Using locations.geojson to define the operational zone of Heartland Express service, separate zones must be defined for Brown County and New Ulm City. Below is a simplified GeoJSON defining the zone of Brown County:

{
  "type": "FeatureCollection",
  "features": [
    {
      "id": "area_708",
      "type": "Feature",
      "geometry": {
        "type": "Polygon",
        # Simplified, only presenting 3 coordinates here.
        "coordinates": [
          [
            [
              -94.7805702,
              44.4560958
            ],
            [
              -94.7805608,
              44.4559928
            ],
            [
              -94.7805218,
              44.4559649
            ]
          ]
        ]
      },
      "properties": {}
    }
  ]

Define booking rules

Here are booking rules that apply to all Heartland Express services:

  • Ride requests should be made between 8 AM and 3 PM weekdays.
  • Rides must be requested one business day prior to day of the ride.
  • Ride requests can be made up to 14 days in advance.

Using booking_type = 2 indicates that the service requires up to prior day(s) booking. prior_notice_last_day = 1 and prior_notice_start_day = 14 indicate indicate that the service can be booked as early as 14 days in advance and as late as the day before.

booking_rules.txt

booking_rule_id booking_type prior_notice_start_day prior_notice_start_time prior_notice_last_day prior_notice_last_time message phone_number info_url
booking_route_74362 2 14 8:00:00 1 15:00:00 Brown County Heartland Express provides door-to-door on-demand transportation. To request a ride, call 1-507-359-2717 or 1-800-707-2717 by 3pm at least one business day ahead of your trip. (507) 359-2717 https://www.co.brown.mn.us/heartland-express-transit

Define stop times

The operating hours are defined using the start_pickup_drop_off_window and end_pickup_drop_off_window fields. Travel within the same zone requires two records in stop_times.txt with the same location_id.

  • The first record with pickup_type = 2 and drop_off_type = 1 indicates that booking pickup is allowed in the zone.
  • The second record with pickup_type = 1 and drop_off_type = 2 indicates that booking drop-off is allowed in the zone.

stop_times.txt

trip_id location_id stop_sequence start_pickup_drop_off_window end_pickup_drop_off_window pickup_type drop_off_type pickup_booking_rule_id drop_off_booking_rule_id
t_5374944_b_77497_tn_0 area_715 1 06:15:00 08:00:00 2 1 booking_route_74362 booking_route_74362
t_5374944_b_77497_tn_0 area_715 2 06:15:00 08:00:00 1 2 booking_route_74362 booking_route_74362
t_5374945_b_77497_tn_0 area_708 1 08:00:00 17:00:00 2 1 booking_route_74362 booking_route_74362
t_5374945_b_77497_tn_0 area_708 2 08:00:00 17:00:00 1 2 booking_route_74362 booking_route_74362
t_5374946_b_77497_tn_0 area_715 1 17:00:00 17:45:00 2 1 booking_route_74362 booking_route_74362
t_5374946_b_77497_tn_0 area_715 2 17:00:00 17:45:00 1 2 booking_route_74362 booking_route_74362
t_5374947_b_77497_tn_0 area_715 1 08:00:00 12:00:00 2 1 booking_route_74362 booking_route_74362
t_5374947_b_77497_tn_0 area_715 2 08:00:00 12:45:00 1 2 booking_route_74362 booking_route_74362

area_715 refers to New Ulm City zone, area_708 refers to Bronw County zone.

On-demand services across multiple zones

Some demand-responsive services operate across multiple distinct zones, where riders can book pickups at any location A within one area and drop-offs at any location within another area. For example, Minnesota River Valley Transit offers on-demand services between Saint Peter and Kasota cities:

Download River Valley Transit example dataset

Define trips

Similar to the previous example, because service hours vary on different days, it's necessary to define trips separately for weekdays and Saturdays.

trips.txt

route_id service_id trip_id
74375 weekdays t_5298036_b_77503_tn_0
74375 saturdays t_5298041_b_77503_tn_0

(Define booking rules and zones using booking_rules.txt and locations.geojson in the same way as the previous example)

Define stop times

The following data indicates that pickup is only allowed in one zone and drop-off is only allowed in another zone. pickup and drop-off in the same zone are not allowed.

stop_times.txt

trip_id location_id stop_sequence start_pickup_drop_off_window end_pickup_drop_off_window pickup_type drop_off_type pickup_booking_rule_id drop_off_booking_rule_id
t_5298036_b_77503_tn_0 area_713 1 06:30:00 20:00:00 2 1 booking_route_74375 booking_route_74375
t_5298036_b_77503_tn_0 area_714 2 06:30:00 20:00:00 1 2 booking_route_74375 booking_route_74375
t_5298041_b_77503_tn_0 area_713 1 09:00:00 19:00:00 2 1 booking_route_74375 booking_route_74375
t_5298041_b_77503_tn_0 area_714 2 09:00:00 19:00:00 1 2 booking_route_74375 booking_route_74375

On-demand services where riders must be picked up and dropped off at specific locations

In certain demand-responsive services, riders are unable to specify pickup and drop-off at any location within a zone. Instead, riders can only book to be picked up and dropped off at specific designated stops(collection points/ virtual stops). An example of this is the RufBus service in Angermünde and Gartz, Germany:

Define trips

Route 476 offers on-demand services between each stop in the Angermünde region. They operate two services (one for weekdays and the other for weekends), with each one having a single trip_id associated.

trips.txt

route_id service_id trip_id
476 on_demand_weekdays 476_weekdays
476 on_demand_weekends 476_weekends

Define location groups

As riders can book services between each stop, to avoid defining all stop-to-stop combinations in stop_times.txt, the appropriate approach is to define these stops as a location group using location_groups.txt and location_group_stops.txt.

location_groups.txt

location_group_id location_group_name
476_stops durch den RufBus 476 bedientes Gebiet im Raum Angermünde

location_group_stops.txt

location_group_id stop_id
476_stops de:12073:900340004::1
476_stops de:12073:900340004::2
476_stops de:12073:900340004::3
476_stops de:12073:900340004::4
476_stops de:12073:900340100::1
476_stops de:12073:900340100::2
476_stops ...

Define booking rules

The 476 route service requires booking at least one hour in advance. Using booking_type = 1 indicates that the service requires up to same-day booking with advance notice. The prior_notice_duration_min = 60 indicates a requirement for booking at least 60 minutes in advance.

There are slight differences between weekday and weekend bookings, so separate booking rules can be defined for weekday and holiday services. More details can be provided in the message field. Information and booking page links can be provided in the info_url and booking_url fields.

booking_rules.txt

booking_rule_id booking_type prior_notice_duration_min message phone_number info_url booking_url
flächenrufbus_angermünde_weekdays 1 60 Anmeldung mind. 60min vorher erforderlich, per Anruf zwischen 08:00 und 24:00 möglich, oder online rund um die Uhr +49 3332 442 755 https://uvg-online.com/rufbus-angermuende/ https://uvg.tdimo.net/bapp/#/astBuchungenView
flächenrufbus_angermünde_weekends 1 60 1€ Komfortzuschlag pro Person; Anmeldung mind. 60min vorher erforderlich, per Anruf zwischen 08:00 und 24:00 möglich, oder online rund um die Uhr +49 3332 442 755 https://uvg-online.com/rufbus-angermuende/ https://uvg.tdimo.net/bapp/#/astBuchungenView

Define stop times

The 476 route operates from 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM on weekdays and from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM on weekends. The operating hours are defined using the start_pickup_drop_off_window and end_pickup_drop_off_window fields. Travel within the same location group requires two records in stop_times.txt with the same location_group_id.

  • The first record with pickup_type = 2 and drop_off_type = 1 indicates that booking pickup is allowed at the location group.
  • The second record with pickup_type = 1 and drop_off_type = 2 indicates that booking drop-off is allowed at the location group.

stop_times.txt

trip_id location_group_id stop_sequence start_pickup_drop_off_window end_pickup_drop_off_window pickup_type drop_off_type pickup_booking_rule_id drop_off_booking_rule_id
476_weekdays 476_stops 1 17:30:00 22:00:00 2 1 flächenrufbus_angermünde_weekdays flächenrufbus_angermünde_weekdays
476_weekdays 476_stops 2 17:30:00 22:00:00 1 2 flächenrufbus_angermünde_weekdays flächenrufbus_angermünde_weekdays
476_weekends 476_stops 1 08:00:00 22:00:00 2 1 flächenrufbus-angermünde_weekdays flächenrufbus_angermünde_weekends
476_weekends 476_stops 2 08:00:00 22:00:00 1 2 flächenrufbus-angermünde_weekdays flächenrufbus-angermünde_weekends

Deviated route

"Route deviation" refers to services where the vehicle follows a fixed route with a set sequence of stops but has the flexibility to deviate from this route to pick up or drop off riders between stops. Typically, deviations are limited to maintain service punctuality, and prior booking is required for deviated pickups and drop-offs.

In this example, the Hermann Express service in New Ulm City allows users to be picked up only at fixed stops and to be droped off at any point within a specific deviation area between these stops.

The example below has been simplified, download the Hermann Express example dataset for more details.

Define trips

Since this type of service still involves a series of fixed stops and a fixed schedule, defining trips is similar to normal fixed-route bus services. It requires defining the trips served by each route throughout all relevant service periods.

trips.txt

route_id service_id trip_id share_id
74513 c_67295_b_77497_d_31 t_5374704_b_77497_tn_0 p_1426044
74513 c_67295_b_77497_d_31 t_5374699_b_77497_tn_0 p_1426044
74513 c_67295_b_77497_d_31 t_5374698_b_77497_tn_0 p_1426044
74513 c_67295_b_77497_d_31 t_5374697_b_77497_tn_0 p_1426044
... ... ... ...

Define zones (GeoJSON location)

Using locations.geojson to define zones for deviated route. Typically, deviations are limited to keep the service on schedule. Therefore, as the vehicle travels, the deviation area between each fixed stop may vary accordingly. The area for route deviation may look like the image below:

deviated route zones

Define stop times

For fixed stops, define fields such as arrival_time, departure_time, and stop_id in a manner similar to normal bus routes. Between fixed stops, define the zones where deviation is allowed. pickup_type = 1 and drop_off_type = 3 indicates that deviated pickup is not allowed (limiting pickup to fixed stops only), and that riders must coordinate with the driver to be dropped off in the deviation zone.

stop_times.txt

trip_id arrival_time departure_time stop_id location_id stop_sequence start_pickup_drop_off_window end_pickup_drop_off_window pickup_type drop_off_type shape_dist_traveled pickup_booking_rule_id drop_off_booking_rule_id
t_5374696_b_77497_tn_0 08:00:00 08:00:00 4149546 1 0
t_5374696_b_77497_tn_0 radius_300_s_4149546_s_4149547 2 08:00:00 8:02:22 1 3 booking_route_74513 booking_route_74513
t_5374696_b_77497_tn_0 08:02:22 08:02:22 4149547 3 1221.627114
t_5374696_b_77497_tn_0 radius_300_s_4149546_s_4149548 4 08:02:22 8:03:00 1 3 booking_route_74513 booking_route_74513
t_5374696_b_77497_tn_0 08:03:22 08:03:22 4149548 5 1548.216356
t_5374696_b_77497_tn_0 radius_300_s_4149546_s_4149549 6 08:03:22 8:05:00 1 3 booking_route_74513 booking_route_74513
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
t_5374696_b_77497_tn_0 08:50:00 08:50:00 4210601 35 23429.19558
t_5374696_b_77497_tn_0 08:56:00 08:56:00 4149564 36 25320.8471

Routing behavior

Ignoring intermediate stop times records with pickup/drop-off Windows

When providing routing or travel time between the origin and destination, data consumers should ignore intermediate stop_times.txt records that have start_pickup_drop_off_window and end_pickup_drop_off_window defined. For example:

trip_id location_id stop_sequence pickup_type drop_off_type start_pickup_drop_off_window end_pickup_drop_off_window
tripA Zone1 1 2 1 08:00:00 18:00:00
tripA Zone2 2 1 2 08:00:00 14:00:00
tripA Zone3 3 1 2 10:00:00 18:00:00

Consumers should not take Zone2 into consideration when providing routing or travel time for a trip from Zone1 to Zone3.

Zone overlap constraint

Simultaneous overlap of locations.geojson id geometry, start/end_pickup_drop_off_window time, and pickup_type or drop_off_type between two or more stop_times.txt records with the same trip_id is forbidden.

For example: (Where northportland refers to a zone within portland)

Forbidden

stop_times.txt

trip_id location_id stop_sequence pickup_type drop_off_type start_pickup_drop_off_window end_pickup_drop_off_window
tripA portland 1 2 1 08:00:00 12:00:00
tripA northportland 2 2 1 10:00:00 14:00:00
tripA vancouver 3 1 2 10:00:00 14:00:00

Allowed

stop_times.txt

trip_id location_id stop_sequence pickup_type drop_off_type start_pickup_drop_off_window end_pickup_drop_off_window
tripA portland 1 2 1 08:00:00 12:00:00
tripA northportland 2 2 1 12:00:00 14:00:00
tripA vancouver 3 1 2 10:00:00 14:00:00

or

stop_times.txt

trip_id location_id stop_sequence pickup_type drop_off_type start_pickup_drop_off_window end_pickup_drop_off_window
tripA portland 1 2 1 08:00:00 12:00:00
tripA northportland 2 1 2 10:00:00 14:00:00
tripA vancouver 3 1 2 10:00:00 14:00:00

or

stop_times.txt

trip_id location_id stop_sequence pickup_type drop_off_type start_pickup_drop_off_window end_pickup_drop_off_window
tripA portland 1 2 1 08:00:00 12:00:00
tripA gresham 2 2 1 10:00:00 14:00:00
tripA vancouver 3 1 2 10:00:00 14:00:00