bts-icba_expansion-maintenance_RFI_04.30.2025.pdf

Request For Information:

BTS Intercity Bus Atlas Maintenance and Expansion

1. KEY POINTS

• Agency/Office: Office of the Secretary (OST)/Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)

• NAICS Code(s): 56151, 56152, 56159

• Point of Contact: Parwana Haqyar, parwana.haqyar.ctr@dot.gov

• Title: Intercity Bus Atlas Maintenance and Expansion

2. DESCRIPTION

The Office of the Secretary (OST)/Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) is issuing this Request For Information (RFI) to identify potential qualified sources, including, but not limited to Small Business (SB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), 8(a) Certified SDB, HUBZone SB, SDVOSB, or WOSB concerns that may be interested in and capable of performing the work described herein to maintain and expand the BTS Intercity Bus Atlas program.

OST/BTS welcomes all qualified sources with the appropriate NAICS Code and relevant Past Performance experience to submit their Corporate Capability Statements that demonstrate their ability to successfully accomplish the goals of the proposed project as listed below. In addition to soliciting on the open market, the government may decide to later limit its competition to qualified GSA 00CORP Professional Services Schedule (PSS) Schedule holding contractors, Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) or One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS).

OST/BTS does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses to this RFI or otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. The Government reserves the right to not answer any follow up questions before or after the submission of responses to this RFI.

Acknowledgement of receipt of responses will not be made; and no formal evaluation of the information received will be conducted by OST/BTS. OST/BTS may; however later in the fiscal year issue a Request for Proposal (RFP). However, should such a requirement fail to materialize, no basis for claims against OST shall arise as a result of a response to this RFI.

3. CONTRACT TYPE

The appropriate contract type has not yet been determined. OST/BTS will consider industry responses to this RFI when determining the most suitable contract type for any future solicitation.

4. BACKGROUND

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) is the principal federal statistical agency within the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and a politically objective supplier of trusted and statistically sound baseline, contextual, and trend information used to shape transportation policy, investments, and research across the U.S. BTS is the preeminent source of statistics on commercial aviation, multimodal freight, and transportation economics. BTS is charged with collecting, compiling, analyzing, and publishing a comprehensive set of transportation statistics on the performance and impacts of the national transportation system.

As part of this mandate, BTS is required to provide statistics on the extent, connectivity, and condition of the transportation system and to develop and maintain a national transportation atlas database that is comprised of geospatial databases that depict transportation networks. While mailto:parwana.haqyar.ctr@dot.gov

BTS’ current suite of spatial products accomplishes this goal for most passenger and freight transportation modes in the U.S., one that unmapped at a national scale is scheduled intercity passenger bus1. In fact, a comprehensive national map of these services has not existed in the public domain since the termination of two well-known products (Russell’s National Motorcoach Guides2 and the American Intercity Bus Riders Association map3) prior to 2016.

To overcome this gap, BTS launched the Intercity Bus Atlas (ICBA) program in 2017, which has been seeking to build a web mapping application that shows the stops and routes of all scheduled bus service in the United States. A fully voluntary program, participating carriers (“Providers”) provide BTS with key schedule information (e.g., stop names and locations, arrival and departure times, route names and frequencies, details on the Provider company, etc.) about the services.

Once received, BTS extracts geospatial stop and route information from the Providers’ submissions and concatenates them into a singular national dataset of stops and routes and then publishes these to its website as a web map and as a pair of downloadable GIS layers.

To streamline the ICBA workflow, BTS encourages Carriers4 to submit their schedules using the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS)5. Originally developed to optimize the conveyance of transit schedules to online trip planners (e.g., Google Maps, Apple Maps, etc.), GTFS files represent the different elements and attributes of a Provider’s schedule using simplistic, easy-to-digest text files; each facet of a schedule (e.g., stop locations, route names, stop names, unique trips, stop times, route shapes) are represented by their own file, all of which can be combined together to depict the spatiotemporal characteristics of a Carrier’s network.

While there are certain aspects of scheduled intercity bus travel that are not well represented by the transit oriented GTFS, it nonetheless has some key advantages. First, there is now an abundance of free and low-cost tools to help a provider build, map, and troubleshoot GTFS feeds6. Second, the text files that underlie a GTFS feed are technically unsophisticated and editable on almost any computer without licensed or specialized software. Third, and perhaps most importantly, GTFS, related to its initial development by Google, is the schedule format required by many online trip planners (e.g., Google Maps, Apple Maps, Transit app) for a provider’s services to appear alongside other transportation options, providing carriers with additional marketing and visibility alongside prospective competitors. Altogether, these factors make GTFS the most logical and efficient format for the schedules underlying the ICBA, especially when compared to alternative formats7 for schedule data.

1 At the US Department of Transportation, the leading definition of “intercity bus” comes from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA): “Regularly scheduled public service using an over-the-road bus that operates with limited stops between two urbanized areas or that connects rural areas to an urbanized area. Intercity bus mode should only be used by private, intercity bus providers.”

2 Published by Russell’s Guides, these were printed guidebooks which included the times, schedules, and stops of all scheduled intercity passenger services in the United States and Canada. Published monthly from 1927 until the 2010s, they included maps. The website for Russell’s are available at http://www.russellsguides.com/.

3 An example AIBRA map can be found at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mulad/11969730234.

4 Companies with scheduled passenger intercity bus services are interchangeably called “carriers” or “providers”.

5 A comprehensive summary of GTFS can be found at https://gtfs.org/.

6 An example of one of these tools, from the National Rural Transit Assistance Program, can be found at https://www.nationalrtap.org/Technology-Tools/GTFS-Builder.

7 Examples of alternate schedule formats can be found at https://skedgo.com/understanding-gtfs-and-netex/.

http://www.russellsguides.com/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/mulad/11969730234 https://gtfs.org/ https://www.nationalrtap.org/Technology-Tools/GTFS-Builder https://skedgo.com/understanding-gtfs-and-netex/

Nevertheless, BTS only visualizes GTFS data from schedule intercity bus providers who opt into the program by signing the BTS ICBA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)8. BTS introduced the MOU to assuage two provider concerns: that (1) business sensitive elements of their schedules would be made public and (2) the traveling public would use the Atlas to plan trips using an Atlas intended solely to show where services actively exist.

Within the confines of this MOU, BTS will use the ICBA data and tools to develop statistics and analyses to help us achieve our federal mandate to understand and map the extent, use, performance, and impact of the United States’ national transportation network, as well as the social, economic, and environmental conditions and relationships it affects. Published ICBA data and geographic information systems (GIS) layers will be available to the public—including federal, state, local, and tribal governments; metropolitan planning organizations; transportation-related associations; public- and private-sector researchers; journalists; and urban and rural planners—to do their own research and planning.

Altogether, ICBA statistical and data products will be used to inform transportation planning and operations, facilitate investment decisions, and guide national policy and legislation related to the movement of people over longer distances. The products developed from a completed ICBA will ultimately provide users with data insights, perspectives, and at spatiotemporal scales not currently available from any other tool or statistic offered from any other source.

Competitive vendors will (1) already have direct access to the Carrier schedule data needed build GTFS feeds for as many Carriers as possible and (2) have demonstrated experience building mappable GTFS feeds on behalf of scheduled intercity passenger bus Providers.

5. OBJECTIVE

The overarching objective of this procurement is to help BTS expand and maintain the Intercity Bus Atlas (ICBA) project. While a completed ICBA is envisioned as a tool for the industry, governments, public, researchers, and policy makers to better understand, study, and make decisions about the extent, density, frequency, affordability, connectivity, and mobility impacts of the intercity bus industry in the United States, BTS still lacks critical information and connections about and within the industry to complete the Atlas.

Since 2017, schedule data collection has been intermittent and incomprehensive, and has been centered on three core efforts:

1. Direct networking and outreach by BTS ICBA staff members, including presentations at conferences and trade events (2017 to present).

2. Completion of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Transportation Research Board

(TRB) National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) study (#08-133) entitled “Implementing the National Intercity Bus Atlas”9 (2019 to 2024), which was directed to (1) catalogue intercity bus carriers, (2) pull available GTFS data, and (3) develop a gameplan to keep the ICBA maintained.

8 The text of the ICBA MOU can be found at https://www.bts.gov/intercity-bus-atlas-partnerships-and-registration.

9 Details on this project are available at https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5597.

https://www.bts.gov/intercity-bus-atlas-partnerships-and-registration https://www.bts.gov/intercity-bus-atlas-partnerships-and-registration https://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5597

3. Expansion of the BTS National Transit Map10, which contains the stops and routes depicted in the GTFS files submitted by all transit agencies who receive federal funds, pursuant a new Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirement that all such agencies (many of which operate services meeting the definition of “intercity”) submit a GTFS file alongside their regular National Transit Database (NTD) submissions.

While these methods collectively added 72 feeds from 102 Providers (and their 1,000+ routes and 26,000+ stops), the Atlas nevertheless suffers from several outstanding problems, namely (1) many of its contributing schedules are now out-of-date (i.e., they were collected at one point in time without the means to acquire updated data), (2) there are known Providers entirely missing from the map, and (3) there are likely other, unknown Providers we don’t know how to identify.

In turn, BTS needs help gaining regular, direct access to the most recent schedule information for all scheduled intercity passenger bus carriers in the United States.

6. SCOPE

The Contractor(s) shall complete the requirements under two (2) main tasks as described below:

1. Under Task 1, the Contractor(s) shall hold a kick-off meeting and develop a project management and work plan.

2. Under Task 2, the Contractor(s) will regularly provide schedule and route network data, in the Generalized Transit Feed Specification Schedule (GTFS-Schedule11) format, to BTS for all the Providers for whom they have direct access to required source information.

These tasks will take place concurrently and are not strictly sequential; nevertheless, the majority of Task 2 will be completed after the end of Task 1. It is anticipated that the period of performance for the two tasks will span five years.

7. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED INFORMATION

Within one (1) week of award, BTS will provide the Contractor(s) with a list of the Carriers represented in the ICBA GTFS feeds in its possession at the time (hereafter the “BTS GTFS Inventory List”). In this list, BTS will categorize its GTFS feeds into four bins:

1. Carriers on the ICBA with up-to-date data and the method of delivery of their data (e.g., ZIP file provided over e-mail, ZIP file provided at an FTP site, GTFS file package provided at an FTP site or URL, etc.)

2. Carriers on the ICBA with likely out-of-date data and the method by which their most recent submission was provided.

3. Carriers entirely missing from the ICBA.

4. Carriers with GTFS data available from the National Transit Map.

8. TASKS

10 More information on the National Transit Map is available at https://www.bts.gov/national-transit-map.

11 “GTFS-Schedule” is distinguished from other GTFS formats, namely GTFS-Realtime (which is used for reporting vehicle positions during active service) and GTFS-Flex (used for capturing paratransit services that do not serve a fixed route). Information on GTFS-Realtime is available at https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs-realtime, and information on GTFS-Flex is available at https://gtfs.org/community/extensions/flex/.

https://www.bts.gov/national-transit-map https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs-realtime https://gtfs.org/community/extensions/flex/

Task 1: Project Management Kick-Off Meeting

1.1. Task Overview

1.1.1. Kick-off meeting

Within two (2) weeks of award, the Contractor(s) shall participate in a kick-off meeting (either onsite at the US Department of Transportation headquarters or virtually via tele-conference services like Microsoft Teams or Zoom) with the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) and Technical Expert (TE). During this kick-off meeting, DOT will reiterate its high-level requirements and priorities for this procurement. DOT and the Contractor(s) will review roles, authorities, and responsibilities of involved individuals, reach agreement on common issues, resolve, and identify potential problems, and clarify understandings of technical aspects. The duration of this meeting should not exceed four (4) hours.

1.1.2. Management and work plan

In preparation for the kick-off meeting, the Contractor(s) shall prepare a Management and Work Plan containing the management approach and critical schedule needed to timely complete two

(2) required tasks. This plan shall be delivered to the Government no later than close of business on the final workday before the kick-off meeting.

Following the kick-off meeting, the Contractor(s) will update this plan based on any comments received from the Government (either during the kick-off meeting or in writing no later than three business days after the conclusion of the meeting) and deliver a Final Management and Work Plan within five (5) business days after receipt of the Government’s comments on the draft.

1.2. Task Deliverables:

No. Deliverable description Due date(s) 1 Kick-off meeting, in person or virtual, with appropriate Contractor and Government staff members.

Within two (2) weeks of award

2 Draft management and work plan Final workday before the kick-off meeting

3 Final management and work plan Within five (5) business days after receipt of the Government’s comments.

Task 2: Acquisition or Production of GTFS feeds for identified carriers

2.1. Task Overview

The core goal of this task is for the Contractor(s) to provide BTS with the schedule and route network data, in the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format, from the Carriers from which they have direct access to information needed to complete and maintain the ICBA.

2.1.1. Schedule data inventory

The Contractor(s) shall collect and build mappable12 GTFS feeds for all the Carriers for which it has direct13 access to the schedule and network data needed to build a feed. If possible or practical, the Contractor(s) should prioritize those Carriers from bins #1, #2, and #3 from the BTS GTFS inventory list (described above in Section 7, “Government Furnished Information”);

the Contractor(s) can ignore Carriers from bin #4 (captured by the NTM).

The Government fully expects the Contractor(s) to lack access to the scheduled data needed to build mappable GTFS feeds for all the missing ICBA Carriers.

The Contractor(s) should make all efforts to gain direct access to the schedule and network data from the Carriers (a) missing from the ICBA and (b) from which they currently lack access.

When doing this work, the Contractor(s) should emphasize Carriers from bins #2 and #3 from the BTS GTFS inventory list).

If the Contractor(s) fail to get direct access to a Carriers feed, they may settle for indirect access whereby they receive the requisite schedule data through non-on-demand deliveries from the Carrier or from a third-party data provider. This option should be avoided unless the Contractor(s) can provide evidence their access to the necessary data is as unimpeded as possible, allowing them to provide the needed GTFS files to BTS for the ICBA’s quarterly update cycle. This evidence should also afford the Contractor(s) to quickly resolve any errors detected in the GTFS feed, involving the Government, the Carrier, or any third parties as required.

2.3. Providing GTFS feeds to BTS

The Government recognizes that the delivery method for any new GTFS feeds will invariably differ based on the sophistication and resources available to each Carrier and/or the selected Contractor(s).

2.3.1. GTFS Summary Table

Within two (2) weeks of receiving the GTFS Inventory List, the Contractor(s) will deliver to BTS a spreadsheet (“ICBA GTFS Summary Table” or “GTFS Summary Table”) that will thereafter serve as the location for the Government and the Contractor(s) to keep track of the

12 A GTFS file with “mappable” stops and routes requires an optional “shapes.txt” file, which depicts the road network used by a Carrier’s buses as it connects the stops on each route (the “stops.txt” file, represents the stops served by a Carrier’s routes, is a core requirement of GTFS and does not need to be additionally mandated). If a GTFS file for a Carrier does not include “shapes.txt” (with all the attributes needed to assign those shapes to the corresponding routes in the feed), it will not be considered a valid, “mappable” GTFS feed.

13 Direct access means the Contractor(s) has unimpeded access to the Carrier schedule data needed to build a mappable GTFS feed and does not need to request access to the data from the Carrier or from a third-party. A Contractor(s) may have direct access to the schedule data because they use Carrier network and schedule data for similar purposes like ticket aggregation, interlining, marketing, or vending.

most up-to-date information on each feed and the method by which it will be delivered to BTS.

As the Summary Table is also only for BTS internal use, it will not be shared with (1) the public,

(2) any federal agency outside BTS, or (3) any BTS team member not involved in the ICBA effort.

In the GTFS Summary Table, the Contractor(s) shall include one row for each GTFS feed, with columns that catalogue:

1. Carrier name(s) and any unique identifier(s)

2. If the Carrier(s) have signed the ICBA MOU (section 2.3.2)

3. If the Carrier(s) is actively running scheduled passenger services, yes or no.

4. Instructions for BTS to access that GTFS feed (section 2.3.3)

5. If/how these instructions will change after the end of the period of performance of this contract.

Once created, updates to the ICBA GTFS Summary Table will be made iteratively, by the Contractor(s) on their own or by request of the Government. The spreadsheet will remain a living document throughout the period of performance of this procurement; the final version of the GTFS Summary Table will be the version of this file on the last day of the period of performance.

Throughout the period of performance of this procurement, the GTFS Summary Table must be stored as an editable, digital file accessible to both parties (i.e., on the Cloud-based file storage system like Microsoft Teams). It must be possible for both the Contractor(s) and the Government to make edits, comments, and revisions at any time. The version of the GTFS Summary Table on the final day of the procurement will be accepted as the final version of the file and will be moved to a secure location after which it will be reference anytime the Government performs future and subsequent ICBA updates. This final version of the GTFS Summary Table will be owned by the Government and will remain Government property.

Events that might trigger updates to the Summary Table include:

• Identification of an error within a GTFS feed.

• Change to the method for sharing the GTFS feed with BTS.

• Identification of a new Carrier or that an existing Carrier is no longer active.

2.3.2. ICBA MOU compliance

For all GTFS feeds, regardless of delivery method, the Contractor(s) must work with the Carrier(s) represented in that feed to make sure they have signed the ICBA MOU.

Under the current workflow, the only way a Carrier can sign the MOU is through the digital form on the BTS website. When signed, the contents of the form—presently (1) Carrier name, (2) Carrier point-of-contact (POC) name, (3) Carrier POC e-mail address, (4) Carrier POC phone number, (5) GTFS delivery method, and (6) MOU acceptance—are automatically e-mailed to BTS through the ICBA inbox. Once such an e-mail is received, BTS considers the Carrier to have agreed to the terms of the MOU. BTS, in tandem with this acknowledgement, will (1) send a confirmation e-mail back to the Carrier POC e-mail address and (2) save the e-mail received from the web form as a PDF as hard copy evidence that the Carrier has signed the MOU.

A representative from the Carrier must be the person who completes and signs the MOU form, although the Contractor(s) (1) may help them provide the correct details and (2) can be mentioned in the section of the form dedicated to GTFS delivery. The Contractor(s) must not provide BTS with GTFS files from a Carrier that has not signed the ICBA MOU

(excluding those who newly provide their GTFS files at the same time they are signing the

MOU).

The Contractor(s) will represent MOU status of a Carrier or feed in the GTFS Summary Table using a standard set of columns. These should include (matching what each Carrier listed in the web form when they signed the ICBA MOU on the BTS website):

• If the Carrier has signed the ICBA MOU: yes or no o If available, the signature date

• Point-of-contact information:

o Name o Email address.

o Telephone number.

If the Contractor(s) or Carrier is unsure if they signed the MOU, they should contact the BTS ICBA team at the BTS ICBA inbox. Since BTS took over ownership of the Atlas in January 2025, the ICBA team confirms receipt of a signed MOU with the Provider’s point-of-contact (via e-mail) as soon as possible. If BTS is unable to confirm if a Carrier has signed an MOU, or if they signed a paper copy of the MOU not yet provided to BTS, it may ask the Carrier to re-sign the digital MOU registration form on the BTS website.

2.3.3. GTFS feed delivery methods

Leveraging its experience from the National Transit Map program (described in section 5, “Objective”), the Contractor(s) will provide GTFS feeds to BTS using one of two methods:

1. Discrete file delivery: Provided as downloaded, discrete GTFS files, preferably as a compressed/zip file containing all the constituent GTFS text files. These files would then be regularly provided to BTS over e-mail or some other file transfer service.

2. Web-hosted delivery: hosted at a remote web-link that BTS can automatically call over the internet using an API when performing its quarterly ICBA updates. Typically, a Carrier or Contractor(s) saves a secured, compressed copy of a GTFS file at a specified URL, from which it is downloadable to anyone in possession of that link. Web storage sites for these files vary but can be on a Carrier website, a Contactor website, or a third-party web-hosting site or drive (e.g., Google Drive, Amazon S3 Bucket, Dropbox, etc.)

and may entail further security credentials. BTS will not require a specific hosting method or location for the ICBA collection.

As elaborated it the two following sub-sections, the columns in the GTFS Summary Table dedicated to delivery methods will vary by the method used by each Carrier.

Discrete file deliveries For Carriers that will deliver their GTFS files via discrete file delivery, the columns in the GTFS Summary Table should note:

• Method of sending the discrete file: e-mail or file transfer portal.

• For e-mailed files:

o Point-of-contact (name, e-mail address, and affiliation) for entity sending the GTFS file to the BTS ICBA inbox.

o Expected frequency or date (i.e., day of the month) of file receipt o Point-of-contact (name, e-mail address, and affiliation) for the person BTS should contact to (1) confirm receipt of the file and (2) remedy errors detected in the feed.

• For file transfer files:

o Point-of-contact (name, e-mail address, and affiliation) for entity uploading the file to the transfer service.

o Link to the file transfer service.

Credentials for accessing the file transfer service.

o Method for informing BTS that the quarterly GTFS file has been sent over the service, e.g., automated alert or e-mail.

o Point-of-contact (name, e-mail address, and affiliation) for the person BTS should contact to (1) confirm receipt of the file and (2) remedy errors detected in the feed.

Please provide any discrete files as zipped or compressed files. Each file should contain all the constituent GTFS files needed to map its stops and routes.

Web-hosted deliveries For Carriers that deliver their GTFS files via web hosting, the columns in the GTFS Summary Table should note:

• URL of the feed o If needed, security credentials for calling the feed.

• URL host type, i.e., Carrier website, Contractor website, third-party website, GTFS catalogue

• URL host name, i.e., name of the platform hosting the data.

• Point-of-contact (name, e-mail address, and affiliation) for the person BTS should contact to (1) confirm receipt of the file and (2) remedy errors detected in the feed.

Please make sure the files saved at each URL path are zipped or compressed files. Each file should contain all the constituent GTFS files needed to map its stops and routes.

2.3.4. GTFS feed processing

Once a quarter, BTS will use the information contained in the GTFS Summary Table to perform its semi-automated updated to the ICBA database:

• Discrete files: BTS will save local copies of the zipped GTFS feeds provided over the prior quarter (as e-mailed to the BTA ICBA inbox or as automatically or manually notified from a file transfer service) as they are received, with separate folders for each unique Carrier. When performing a quarterly update, BTS will double check to make sure BTS have saved all GTFS files received during the prior three months, prioritizing Carriers whose feeds expired since the last quarterly update.

• URL-transmitted files: BTS will run Python code that iterates through the provided URLs and saves local copies of the newest GTFS feeds into folders for each specific Carrier. BTS will run this code at the time BTS does its quarterly update and will save the version of the feed at that URL at the time BTS makes the call. Ideally, the version being called should have the most up-to-date schedule and network information for that Carrier.

Once BTS has downloaded the newest GTFS data for all the Carriers listed in the GTFS Summary Table at the time, it will run a separate Python code that (1) ingests the data for each Carrier, (2) transforms each of the constituent GTFS files into geospatial databases of stops and routes, (3) creates a pair of databases for all the stops and routes of all Carriers, (4) flags those Carriers whose GTFS feeds contain errors that prevent them from being mapped, and (5) exports these databases as a pair of geographic information systems (GIS) layers for upload to the BTS National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD). Once the BTS team members that run NTAD upload and publish these layers to the BTS website, the stops and routes on the BTS Intercity Bus Atlas web map are automatically refreshed to reflect these newest data.

BTS will provide the Contractor(s) with a minimum of four (4) weeks’ notice that it plans to perform its quarterly ICBA update. The Contractor(s) should use this time to prime their file deliveries and perform any required outreach to the Carrier(s) to make sure their data are up-to-date and that their schedules and networks are properly represented in their GTFS feeds.

2.3.5. GTFS feed upkeep

For all feeds, the POC that BTS contacts to confirm receipt of a file should the same POC that BTS contacts to remedy errors. If either of these POCs is different from the POC listed for a Carrier on their MOU, BTS will send follow-up e-mails (confirming receipt or fixing an error) to the error-mediation POC and the Carrier POC from the MOU.

Before providing BTS with the delivery information on these feeds, the Contractor(s) shall, to the greatest extent possible, verify the validity of each feed and ensure it is mappable. For URL-based deliveries, the Contractor(s) should additionally verify the URL is valid and returns a GTFS feed (i.e., a GTFS representation of the Carrier’s schedule active on the data on the call.

To complete this step, the Contractor(s) is encouraged to use a standard GTFS validator.14 Once BTS downloads a delivered GTFS feed, BTS will contact the POCs identified for that Carrier in the GTFS Summary Table to remedy errors or answer any questions. Once contacted, that POC is responsible for fixing errors and providing BTS with an updated feed. BTS will contact the Contractor(s) if they cannot reach the Carrier POC for a feed.

The entity (Government or Contractor) that discovers an error or change in the delivery method for a feed during the period of performance of this contract will be responsible for updating the information for that feed in the GTFS Summary Table, i.e., changes in the delivery schedule, feed point-of-contact information, file access credentials. In these instances, the entity making the change should give written notification to the other party, either via e-mail or tagging the Government technical expert in a comment within the spreadsheet).

If a feed is determined to be from a Carrier no longer eligible for the ICBA (e.g., defunct, merged, changed markets), it must be marked inactive in the GTFS Summary Table.

14 An example GTFS validator from Mobility Data, the non-profit that maintains the GTFS, is available at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/.

https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/

The system that the Contractor(s) develops to provide any Carrier GTFS files to BTS should be set up, as much as possible, to allow for BTS to continue to receive those feeds past the end of the period of performance of this Contract.

2.3.6. Adding new Carriers

If the Contractor has added and validated a GTFS feed from a new Carrier, the Contractor(s) shall immediately (i.e., no longer than one business day) add them to the GTFS Summary Table (along with all commensurate delivery information) and then notify BTS, via e-mail or by tagging them in a Comment in the spreadsheet. Once BTS performs its first ICBA update after adding this Carrier, BTS will use the POC information for that Carrier, as included in the GTFS Summary Table, to (1) confirm receipt of new data and (2) contact them to fix detected errors.

2.4. ICBA GTFS feed specifications

Regardless of the method by which a GTFS file is provided to BTS, the Contractor(s) shall consider the following specifications when creating, curating, or providing a feed:

• The GTFS files provided for the ICBA must contain a (1) a “stops.txt” file with valid latitude and longitude values, representing the Carrier’s stop locations, and (2) a “shapes.txt” file, representing the paths taken by the buses on its routes. If these are not provided, the GTFS feed cannot be mapped. If a feed is missing either of these two file elements, the Contractor(s) must work with the Carrier(s) to add the requisite stop and shape information. For the “shapes.txt” file, the path represented in the file for each route should reflect the path most likely to be taken by the Carrier’s buses when operating that route. BTS cannot generates stop locations or shapes on behalf of a Carrier.

• If the Contractor generates a GTFS file on behalf of a Carrier specifically for the ICBA, the Contractor may provide those files back to the original Carrier or (with Carrier consent) to third party schedulers, aggregators, or trip planners, e.g., Google Maps, Apple Maps, etc.

• BTS’ error-checking (as part of its quarterly update cycle) will only focus on the elements of the GTFS files needed to map a Carrier’s routes and stops. It will not evaluate any of the files or attributes from any optional GTFS component file not needed to map the data.

• The Contractor(s) shall include the following elements in the GTFS feeds it builds for a Carrier, ensuring they include items of maximal importance to intercity travel:

o In the required file “agency.txt” (even though most scheduled intercity carriers do not call themselves “agencies”, this table is where Carrier-level information is stored; the use of the term “agency” comes the creation of GTFS for urban public transit):

Use well-known agency unique identifiers (e.g., FMCSA USDOT

Number15) as the “agency_id” Use the name by which customers would recognize a Carrier as the

“agency_name” Use the time zone of the Carrier’s headquarters as “agency_timezone”.

15 More information available at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/do-i-need-usdot-number.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/do-i-need-usdot-number

If creating a GTFS feed on behalf of a Carrier, use the contact information at the Carrier to complete the “agency_url”, “agency_email”, and “agency_phone” (i.e., contact information for buying a ticket).

o In the required file “stops.txt”:

Use any well-known station codes (i.e., IATA or ICAO code of airport, Amtrak station code, Carrier-specific code) as the “stop_code”.

Use the customer-recognized stop name under “stop_name” Use the “stop_location” and “parent_location” fields to differentiate stops at the curbside from those inside a dedicated terminal; “stop_location” differentiates curbside stops from platforms in a terminal and “parent_location” is a code use to capture all platforms in a terminal.

Include the “stop_timezone” for all stops.

o In the required file “routes.txt”:

Use customer-recognized route names under “route_name”.

Use the extended “route_type” classifiers16 if a Carrier has specific services it wishes to be differentiated from the standard “route_type” of ‘3 (Bus).’

o In the required file “trips.txt”:

Use customer-recognized trip names under “trip_name” especially if there are distinct trips along a route, i.e. there is a trip or schedule number17 assigned to a trip along a route that only stops are a specific set of stops

Use the customer-recognized final destination of a trip (city or city-station) as the “trip_headsign”.

o In the required file “stop_times.txt”:

All arrival and departure times must be in the local time zone.

Use “pickup_type” and “drop_off_type” if a Carrier operates routes that require call-ahead coordination.

o The last two required files, “calendar.txt” and “calendar_dates.txt”, should be included in an ICBA GTFS feed to help BTS determine if/when a feed is out-of-date.

o The remaining optional GTFS component files (beyond “shapes.txt”) are not needed to build and inform the ICBA in its current form and are not required. If a Carrier or Contractor has no issue with sharing them, they will nonetheless be accepted by BTS as part of a mappable GTFS file.

2.2. Task Deliverables

No. Deliverable description Due date(s) 1 GTFS Summary Table, initial version Within two (2) weeks of receiving the BTS GTFS Inventory List.

2 GTFS Summary Table, periodic updates Ongoing. Updates will be made irregularly, although any request

16 More information on extended route types at https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs/reference/extended-route-types; examples related to intercity bus include coach services (200-209) and bus services (700-716).

17 More information on intercity bus schedule numbers at https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Russell%27s_Guide.

https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs/reference/extended-route-types https://developers.google.com/transit/gtfs/reference/extended-route-types https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Russell%27s_Guide to update elements of the Table by the Government should be fulfilled within no longer than one (1) week.

Anticipated requests include BTS’ intentions to do its quarterly ICBA update of all feeds and the detection of new or defunct Carriers.

3 GTFS Summary Table, final version (updated and edited as needed over the course of the period of performance)

End of the period of performance of the procurement.

9. CAPABILITY STATEMENTS

Keeping BTS’s support requirements in mind, outline how your firm would support the work areas. Sources are requested to submit a capability statement that addresses their ability to deliver the required products and/or services.

The capability statement should clearly identify the following items regarding the interested organization(s):

1. name and address of prospective organization

2. technical capabilities to perform the work

3. relevant experience and credentials

4. synopsis of experience and expertise of potential staff

5. relevant projects completed related to the anticipated objectives of the contract with information on the client, scope, and products

6. participation on any active Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) vehicles.

Page Limit and Format The capability statement shall be no more than 8 pages in length, single‐spaced, with font sized 12 or larger. The document shall be in Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word format. Please do not submit marketing material or resumes.

The capability statement shall include, where helpful, brief biographies of team members and anonymized summaries of relevant experiences.

10. QUESTIONNAIRE:

BTS has created a skills questionnaire for sources to provide an at‐a‐glance view of their technical expertise and connections to meet the anticipated requirements. Interested sources should complete this questionnaire as completely as possible. This does not count against the 8-page requirement for the Capability Statement.

Vendors may mark any responses “Proprietary or confidential” they consider business confidential. Such Markings will be respected to the extent permitted under applicable laws.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics Market Research – Intercity Bus Atlas Maintenance and Expansion

• Please complete the following questionnaire.

• Place and X beside each requirement that your firm would be able to satisfy.

• All responses to these questions will be treated by the Government as business confidential information and will not be shared publicly as part of BTS’ procurement market research.

1. Do you have direct access to the schedule and network data needed to provide BTS with a mappable GTFS feed representing the stops and routes of at least one scheduled intercity passenger bus Provider?

No Yes, 1-5 carriers

Yes, 6-10 carriers

Yes, 11+ carriers

2. Have you previously generated a GTFS feed or file on behalf of a scheduled intercity passenger bus Provider?

Yes No

2.1. Please briefly (<500 words) describe the nature of your direct access to the schedule data from the scheduled intercity bus Providers and how you would go about generating that data into a GTFS file you could deliver to BTS on a regular basis. If the nature of your access is similar across groupings of Carriers, you may summarize at the grouping level.

Data access

2.2. If you have generated a GTFS feed for a scheduled intercity Provider, have you generated a “stops.txt” file that contains the locations (as latitude and longitude coordinates) of the stops actively served by that Carrier?

2.3. If you have generated a GTFS feed for a scheduled intercity Provider, have you generated a “shapes.txt” file that represents the exact path taken by the Carriers’ buses when operating each of its scheduled routes?

2.3.1. If yes, please describe (<500 words) the method you used to generate that “shapes.txt” file.

Shapes.txt generation method

3. Please list the names of the scheduled intercity bus Carriers for whom you have sufficient, direct access to the schedule and network data required to build a mappable GTFS feed that you can subsequently provide to BTS on regular basis so it can update the stops and routes represented on the Intercity Bus Atlas to optimally reflect that Carrier’s active network:

Scheduled intercity passenger bus providers

3.1. List any additional scheduled intercity bus carriers to which you believe you could gain access to the needed schedule and network data to build a mappable, updatable GTFS feed:

Additional carriers •

3.2. Briefly describe (<300 words) what barriers exist that would prevent you from gaining direct access to schedule data from any additional scheduled intercity bus carriers:

4. Is your firm a member of either of these motorcoach industry groups?

Trade Group Yes No Notes/comments

American Busing Association (ABA)

United Motorcoach Association (UMA)

Note: Membership in these organization is not required for consideration but may indicate industry engagement and access to key data sources.

5. Based on your firm’s staff experience, skills, and knowledge areas, please use the table below to list the team members anticipated needed to complete the work outlined in this statement of work, including each person’s position/title, years of experience within the

Barriers scheduled intercity bus industry, and their envision role in the project (<250 words). You do not need to provide specific people or names. Add or subtract table rows as needed.

Position/title Years of experience Anticipated role (<250 words)

5.1. Based on your firm’s experience please estimate (1) the number of hours per week and hours per month each of the positions/titles listed above would need to work to accomplish these tasks and (2) their corresponding hourly rate:

Position/title Expected hours per week Price, per hour

The rates provided by industry in response to this Source Sought are for budgeting and planning purposes only and are not considered binding at this stage.

6. List all North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes used by your firm:

NAICS codes •

7. Identify all applicable classifications for your organization such as:

Classification Yes No

Small business

Small disadvantaged business

Women-owned business

HUB Zone business

8(a) business

Service-disabled veteran-owned small business

Large business

Non-profit

Other (please specify)

1. Is your firm on the GSA Schedule?

a. If yes, what is your SIN number?

b. If yes, what is your Schedule number?

2. Is your firm on any other Federal Government schedules? If so, please provide.

3. Is your form registered in System for Award Management (SAM)?

4. What is your UEI number?

1.2. Task Deliverables:

2.4. ICBA GTFS feed specifications

2.2. Task Deliverables

10. QUESTIONNAIRE: