“The technology is not a panacea. It’s not apolitical. We need people at the table who deeply understand the problem.” – Alma Rangel, Codeando México
Volunteers ride buses and map routes. Universities and civic groups improve the base map. Trufi converts this into GTFS so apps can use it. Open data here empowers riders and city planners alike.
As this is more of an MVP for now, I mainly rely on APIs such as Google Geocoding API, Mapbox, etc in the backend, but this is certainly limited. If there was a dedicated user base who found value in this, I'd look to increase granularity/accuracy and reduce costs by working with raw spatial data and doing GIS/network analysis type stuff in-house instead.
Although, I do use OSM on the site as a map view source!
We attended UITP 2025 to represent the billions who rely on informal transport systems that mainstream mobility experts often discount. Many conference attendees remained unfamiliar with how informal transport actually works until we explained it. "A lot of them still don't fully understand what informal transport is," said Eva Asturizaga.
We also hosted a dinner for 20 paratransit thought leaders including Jackie Klopp and Benjie de la Peña - the people who actually understand how transport works in the global South. Our open-source applications digitize these informal networks instead of treating them as problems to eliminate.
UITP 2025 is where the future of transport is shaped. Trufi will be there to share expertise, build new partnerships, and elevate informal mobility as central to sustainable transport.
Informal transport moves billions globally but is often invisible to planners and policymakers. We work with communities to digitize these networks using open-source tools and open data standards, integrating them into public transport planning. The goal: make actual mobility patterns visible and usable for better service, investment, and inclusion.
A group of high school students from Duitama, Colombia—known as the Duitama Mapping Stars—have been quietly making a global impact. Through OpenStreetMap, they’ve digitized informal public transport networks across cities in East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Their data contributions help power open source apps and tools that improve urban mobility and make transportation more equitable.
Now, there’s an effort to get them to State of the Map LATAM 2025, the leading regional event for the OpenStreetMap community. It's a chance for these students to share their work, connect with global contributors, and see the value of their community-led innovation on an international stage.
Mobility justice starts with community-driven data — and Trufi volunteer Anahi Gonzalez is a data monster. She’s transforming mobility in Mexico, and inspiring others to follow.
Anahi, our May Volunteer of the Month, bridges urban planning and tech, teaching mapping workshops and fixing broken routes. Her work with local officials ensures public transport reflects real community needs.
The Open Source Observatory (OSOR), a key platform for open-source adoption in public services, featured Trufi in a case study on how our tools help cities digitize and improve public transport.
Trufi builds open-source solutions to map and integrate informal transport networks—essential services in many cities of the global South. Our tools, powered by OpenStreetMap and open data, make these networks more visible, efficient, and respectable.
“Trufi is playing an essential role in transforming how public transport data is handled in cities with limited resources.”
MobilityDatabase requires error-free, validated GTFS feeds. Trufi's Trujillo feed met these standards, showcasing our commitment to sustainable and accessible transit data. This recognition amplifies Trujillo’s visibility and integrates its mobility ecosystem into global planning tools like ITDP’s Mobility Atlas. Trufi’s work continues to transform informal transport into respected systems for cities worldwide.
Volunteers ride buses and map routes. Universities and civic groups improve the base map. Trufi converts this into GTFS so apps can use it. Open data here empowers riders and city planners alike.