On September 22 and 23, 2026, we had the opportunity to attend the International Mobility Data Summit 2026 in Montréal, hosted by MobilityData. The event brought together approximately 200 participants from more than 20 countries, including transit agencies, technology providers, researchers, consultants, and mobility experts from around the world.
As a provider of passenger information display solutions for transit agencies, attending the summit provided a valuable opportunity to learn from industry leaders, exchange ideas with peers, and gain insight into the standards shaping the future of public transportation.
MobilityData has been responsible for maintaining and evolving GTFS since 2019 and has become the leading organization driving the development of transit data standards globally. The summit naturally attracted many of the agencies, vendors, developers, and industry experts who actively contribute to and depend on these standards.
Across presentations and panel discussions, a recurring theme emerged: high-quality, standardized transit data has become a foundational element of modern public transportation. Whether supporting passenger information, trip planning, accessibility initiatives, operational efficiency, or multimodal mobility, reliable data is now a critical part of the rider experience.
One panel discussion shared a surprisingly effective analogy.
A panelist began with a simple question:
“Is a hot dog a sandwich?”
The discussion quickly highlighted an important concept. While everyone generally understands what a sandwich is, the ingredients, preparation, and presentation can vary significantly while still fitting within the same broad definition.
GTFS works in much the same way.
The specification provides a common framework and shared expectations, but agencies can still implement it in ways that reflect their unique operational realities and passenger information needs. Different approaches can coexist while maintaining interoperability through a common standard.
This idea resonates strongly with our work at ITEStransit. While standards provide the foundation, transit agencies still require flexibility in how information is presented to riders across passenger information displays, websites, mobile applications, and other communication channels.
Another announcement that generated considerable interest was the introduction of MobilityData’s upcoming Seal of Reliability initiative.
The goal is to identify GTFS data feeds that meet defined quality and validation criteria, making it easier for agencies, software providers, and developers to recognize reliable and well-maintained datasets.
As transit ecosystems become increasingly interconnected, initiatives like these help strengthen trust in shared data and encourage continuous improvements in data quality across the industry.
MobilityData announced that Google has formally transferred ownership of the intellectual property associated with the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) to the organization. While MobilityData has acted as GTFS’s maintainer and developer since 2019, this transfer formalizes its role as steward of one of the world’s most widely adopted transportation data standards.
The significance of this announcement extends far beyond the conference itself.
For the transportation industry, this milestone reinforces GTFS’s future as an open, independent, and community-driven standard. For Montréal, it is also a noteworthy reminder that one of the world’s most influential transit data standards is now stewarded by a local organization with a global impact.
Among all the presentations and panel discussions, one quote from Rikesh Shah, Managing Director of Innovate Today, captured the essence of the summit.
“Riders don’t want to guess when the bus will arrive, they want to know.”
Ultimately, this is what discussions about GTFS, validation, interoperability, and data standards are really about.
Behind every data feed is a rider trying to make a decision. Behind every standard is an effort to provide more accurate, more reliable, and more useful information.
The technologies may evolve, but the objective remains the same: helping people travel with confidence.
Our two days at the summit reinforced a trend we continue to observe across the transit industry: reliable mobility data is becoming increasingly important to delivering a better passenger experience.
Open standards, stronger validation practices, and continued collaboration across the industry are helping create a more connected transportation ecosystem.
We would like to thank MobilityData for organizing an excellent event and bringing together such a diverse community of mobility professionals. We look forward to continuing these conversations and applying these insights as we help transit agencies transform transit data into meaningful passenger information.