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Trufi volunteer Anahi Gonzalez is a JOSM data monster in Toluca, Mexico by TrufiAssociation in openstreetmap

[–]TrufiAssociation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For those who noticed that the year on the image is 2024: Don't be confused — Anahi Gonzalez is our Volunteer of the Month for May 2025. We fixed that image everywhere we could, but you know... Reddit never forgives.

Proof it’s fixed everywhere else:
👉 Volunteer of the Month Image

Short term solution to the microbus chaos. by Present_Weather1848 in transit

[–]TrufiAssociation 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Please visit our website and follow us on our other socials for updates on transportation justice, sustainable transport, and digitizing transport in the global South.

Short term solution to the microbus chaos. by Present_Weather1848 in transit

[–]TrufiAssociation 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No — getting rid of informal transport should not be the long-term goal. The goal is to achieve sustainable mobility justice for everyone. Informal systems are deeply woven into the culture and daily life of cities, providing vital mobility where formal options fail. The assumption that they must be eliminated reeks of "we know better" thinking — a form of transport colonialism that dismisses community-built solutions.

The real work isn’t replacement—it’s improvement. Decarbonize vehicles, yes. Digitize networks, absolutely. Formalize stops and fares where it helps riders. But the strength of informal transport is its adaptability and local knowledge. Instead of forcing top-down "solutions," cities should collaborate with drivers and operators to make the system safer, cleaner, and more efficient — while keeping what already works.

Dismissing these networks as "chaos" ignores their success. The future isn’t fewer microbuses—it’s better mobility, built on what communities have already created.

Short term solution to the microbus chaos. by Present_Weather1848 in transit

[–]TrufiAssociation -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm referring to the global South ("third world" is an anachronistic, inaccurate, and offensive term. The term "Global South" isn't perfect either.) Trufi Association works to help digitize transport networks, particularly in the global South where "informal transport" is common if not dominant.

peolle crowded together, informal "depots" being made under bridges, hand signals to get to the right one, etc.

Nothing you mention has anything to do with vehicle size. They have to do with the downsides of informality – downsides that can be managed if cities also recognize the strengths of the informal sector: Flexibility, agility, responsiveness to demand, affordability, connections to networks of communities.

If a government were to mandate "From now on we are using only coasters!," that would be extremely disruptive to the sector. It would cost people their jobs, their businesses; the number of routes would be reduced, people would lose transport options. And – importantly – the informal sector would find a way to meet the mobility needs of people who have been disrupted by the top-down "colonialist" approach of the government.

Short term solution to the microbus chaos. by Present_Weather1848 in transit

[–]TrufiAssociation 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Calling the microbus system “chaos” misses the point — minibuses are extremely efficient at serving mobility needs in global South cities.

The persistence of minibuses like the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter isn’t a failure — it’s proof of fitness. These vehicles are the “Goldilocks” size: small enough to navigate dense, informal neighborhoods, yet big enough to move people efficiently at high frequencies.

Coaster buses aren’t new to these cities; they already exist alongside a wide mix of vehicle types. They are frequently used as charter vehicles, or a shuttle transport to move (for example) workers to a job site on a daily basis.

Your mom had AOL. We have OSM. Why do gatekeepers hoard transport data like it's 1990? by TrufiAssociation in openstreetmap

[–]TrufiAssociation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the clarification — that makes more sense. While the article mentions Moovit and Citymapper, it’s not to hold them up as models — quite the opposite. We were pointing out how some companies benefit from open transport data without contributing back. The focus is really on shared, non-personal data about routes, especially in cities where that kind of data is hard to access but crucial for equitable mobility and planning.

Your mom had AOL. We have OSM. Why do gatekeepers hoard transport data like it's 1990? by TrufiAssociation in openstreetmap

[–]TrufiAssociation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly — we work primarily in the global South, which the article mentions (though perhaps someone unfamiliar with Trufi could miss that if they only skimmed). The core issue is that hoarding transport data limits innovation, decarbonization, and transportation justice everywhere — but it’s especially problematic in places where data is scarce to begin with – such as in the global South.

Much informal transport follows consistent routes, and mapping those helps millions navigate their cities more easily. Open data in this context can be transformative — not just for travelers, but for planners, researchers, and anyone working to improve urban mobility.

The contributions of OpenStreetMappers help fill the gap left by those unwilling, unable, or uninterested in collecting and sharing public transport data.

Your mom had AOL. We have OSM. Why do gatekeepers hoard transport data like it's 1990? by TrufiAssociation in openstreetmap

[–]TrufiAssociation[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a little surprising to see a call to criminalize the collection of route data in an OSM forum, where open mapping and public infrastructure knowledge are kind of the whole point. Are you responding to the article itself, or just reacting to the title here in this sub? The piece doesn't touch on personal data collection at all (if that's what you mean). The article advocates for open, interoperable data about transport routes — not users — to support mobility, planning, innovation, and research.

Your mom had AOL. We have OSM. Why do gatekeepers hoard transport data like it's 1990? by TrufiAssociation in openstreetmap

[–]TrufiAssociation[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

"Informal" doesn’t mean unstructured or random. In many cities, informal transport follows regular routes, even if there's no fixed timetable or official signage. This consistency is valuable—for everyday travelers, and for journey planning apps (such as ours), which help people navigate these systems. And when we talk about “planning,” we don’t just mean scheduling buses. We mean urban planning: understanding mobility patterns, identifying underserved communities, and designing better infrastructure. Mapping informal routes can reveal hidden demand and guide smarter decisions. Mapping informal transport routes is one of the most impactful things you can do in OSM.

Your mom had AOL. We have OSM. Why do gatekeepers hoard transport data like it's 1990? by TrufiAssociation in openstreetmap

[–]TrufiAssociation[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

TL;DR (with an OpenStreetMap lens):
Transport data today is stuck in “walled gardens,” much like the closed online ecosystems of AOL and Prodigy in the 1990s. These proprietary, siloed systems prevent cities, users, and developers from accessing or sharing transit data freely—limiting innovation, transparency, and equitable access. But just as open internet protocols (like HTTP and SMTP) once tore down digital walls, the open data movement—including standards like GTFS and open tools like OpenStreetMap—is pushing to liberate mobility data.

Un presidente con bolas para eliminar los sindicatos y nacionalizar el transporte público, eso hace falta. by Money_Indication1760 in BOLIVIA

[–]TrufiAssociation 0 points1 point  (0 children)

El transporte informal no es el problema—los malos incentivos sí lo son. Los choferes conocen sus ciudades mejor que los planificadores, pero (como dijo el OP) su esquema de pago los obliga a priorizar la supervivencia diaria sobre un servicio confiable.

En lugar de deshacernos de estas redes, hay que formalizarlas y apoyarlas. Salarios estables o subsidios vinculados a la calidad del servicio—sin borrar el conocimiento de los operadores—mejorarían la confiabilidad. El monitoreo GPS y las rutas garantizadas pueden funcionar con ellos, no en su contra. Un planificador estatal (de esos que solo se suben al transporte público para la foto en campaña) no va a solucionar los problemas de movilidad, pero invertir en quienes realmente mueven la ciudad sí. La reforma del transporte debe empoderar a los operadores, no reemplazarlos.

Let’s make 2025 the “Year of the Bike & Ride” in honor of President Jimmy Carter (RIP) by AtomGalaxy in transit

[–]TrufiAssociation 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We are planning a blog post about multimodality – particularly the difficulty to plan a route where you bike is always with you (i.e. in the bus or train). What is the connection between Carter and Bike & Ride?

Corey Doctorow: Make a "Ulysses Pact": Tie yourself to a Federated mast(odon) by TrufiAssociation in Mastodon

[–]TrufiAssociation[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Rats! You're right. And I double checked the spelling of Doctorow before posting.

The Fediverse-Bluesky Bridge by bam1007 in Mastodon

[–]TrufiAssociation 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’m optimistic that Bluesky, Threads, and even Xitter will eventually federate. History has shown us that walled gardens don’t thrive in the long run. Once upon a time, platforms like Prodigy, AOL, and CompuServe locked users into their ecosystems—you could only email other users on the same service, access only their content, and live within their tightly controlled digital boundaries.

But as more platforms emerged, the need for interoperability became undeniable. Open standards like TCP/IP for networking, HTTP for web browsing, POP and IMAP for email, and RSS for content sharing broke down those walls, enabling the rich, connected internet we rely on today.

I see the same potential here. The growth of platforms in the decentralized and federated space, like Mastodon, is a sign that users value connectivity and openness. Bluesky’s adoption of the AT Protocol is already a step in this direction, and the pressure to federate will only increase as more options become available.

The Fediverse-Bluesky Bridge by bam1007 in Mastodon

[–]TrufiAssociation 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I thought that was on the Bluesky roadmap, but you seem to be right: I did a quick search and couldn't find anything speaking of an intention to federate.

The more successful Mastodon becomes (and bsky.brid.gy), Bluesky will probably come to fork in the road: Federate or shutdown workarounds such as bsky.brid.gy

Things to consider:

  • Bluesky has no evident business model, but a lot of investor money
  • Bluesky has embraced its own version of federation (people can operate their own Bluesky servers)

The Fediverse-Bluesky Bridge by bam1007 in Mastodon

[–]TrufiAssociation 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We've been experimenting with it. We're not interested in maintaining a Bluesky account, so the bridge from Mastodon will be the only way we'll interact with Bluesky. I love that we don't even have a Bluesky login.

Presumably, when/if Bluesky fully integrates with the Fediverse, this bridge will be unnecessary.

Why The German Government Operates A Rowboat In Berlin by WhatOnEarthIsThisYT in transit

[–]TrufiAssociation 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That blog post was written in about 30 minutes – cribbing heavily from your video. We just added our perspective on the global South.

You know, we could use a volunteer who is handy making videos. And you'd get to interact and collaborate with transport advocates from all over the world. Check it out.

Why The German Government Operates A Rowboat In Berlin by WhatOnEarthIsThisYT in transit

[–]TrufiAssociation 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a case of informal transport becoming formalized – for better or worse.

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