Transit SMS for public agencies
Text a stop number. Get the next arrival times.
RideInfo runs your agency's text line. Riders text a stop number, an intersection, or a question and get live arrival times from your GTFS-RT feed. They can subscribe to service alerts, and your staff can send updates to riders who follow specific routes or stops. We set up the number and submit carrier registration.
Crosstown Transit
Text line answered by RideInfo
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Rider
1482
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Crosstown Transit
Main St & 5th Ave (stop 1482). Rt 12 to Downtown: 4 & 19 min. Rt 7 to University: 8 min. Rt 22 to Hospital: 11 min. Reply R to refresh.
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Rider
is the 22 late
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Crosstown Transit
Yes, about 3 min late. It reaches Main St & 5th Ave in 11 min. Rt 22 is detoured on Oak St until 6 PM.
What riders can ask by text
Riders do not need to learn commands. They type the way they would ask a driver.
The number on the stop sign
A rider texts the stop number and gets the next arrivals for every route at that stop. The times come from your GTFS-RT feed, not the printed schedule.
An intersection or a landmark
"main and 5th" and "the hospital" work too. The reply gives the stop number, so the rider can text it directly next time.
R to refresh
A rider waiting at the stop replies R for new times. They do not type the stop number again.
Trips, alerts, schedules, and fares
"How do I get to Oakwood Transit Center?" "Is the 8 detoured?" "How much is a day pass?" Each answer comes from your own feeds and fare rules.
English and Spanish
A rider who texts in Spanish gets the answer in Spanish, including the arrival times.
Directions requested by phone
When a rider calls RideInfo for trip directions, the voice agent offers to text them. It sends one text, only after the caller says yes.
Alerts riders sign up for
- Sign up by text. A rider texts JOIN 22 for one route, JOIN with a stop number for one stop, or JOIN ALL. We check the route or stop against your GTFS feed before we confirm.
- Send service alerts automatically. When your GTFS-RT feed posts an alert for a route, subscribers to that route get a text. Your staff does not need to send a separate message.
- Set up arrival alerts online. The service includes Feedback's rider portal with only alert signup enabled. Riders can use it to request a text when Route 4 is 10 minutes from their stop on weekdays between 7 and 8 AM.
Updates your staff send
- Choose who receives each update. Send to all subscribers, subscribers to selected routes or stops, or a saved group. For a snow closure affecting three routes, send the update to those route subscribers.
- Schedule updates in advance. Write a message tonight for delivery at 5 AM. Set an expiration time to prevent outdated messages from being sent, and cancel any remaining deliveries if plans change.
- Check delivery results. Each broadcast shows how many texts the carriers reported as delivered and how many failed.
Consent, delivery, and reporting
We submit carrier registration and keep consent records. Your staff can check message delivery and usage in the dashboard.
STOP means stop
STOP, END, CANCEL, QUIT, UNSUBSCRIBE, and their Spanish forms opt a rider out at once. We check the opt-out list before each broadcast is sent to exclude riders who have unsubscribed.
A record of every opt-in and opt-out
Consent records show when and how each rider signed up or opted out. Phone numbers are encrypted in storage and deleted 12 months after the rider's last text. An opt-out record is retained to prevent further messages.
Carrier registration
We prepare and submit the short code or toll-free registration, including the program description, sample messages, HELP and STOP replies, and evidence of how riders opt in. Replies use your agency's name, and you approve their wording.
Message activity in your dashboard
Check incoming and outgoing texts, unique riders, alert delivery results, sign-ups, opt-outs, and uptime whenever you need them. Export the data as a PDF or CSV for your team or board.
Replacing your SMS vendor
If your current text service is ending or no longer supported, here is how we prepare your agency to launch RideInfo.
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1
Submit carrier registration
Carrier approval takes the longest, so we submit the registration in the first week.
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2
Your feeds and your stops
We connect your GTFS and GTFS-RT feeds and test the stop numbers printed on your signs. You review the test results before the service goes live.
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3
Your replies and your notices
You approve the HELP, STOP, and sign-up replies. We give you the wording for your stop signs, website, and rider notices.
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4
Go live
Once setup and carrier approval are complete, riders can text the number for answers. You can add phone and web chat later using the same feeds.
For the details of a good transit text service, from the 160-character limit to the stop_code field, read what a transit SMS service has to get right.
The same answer by text, phone, and web chat
RideInfo uses the same transit data to answer texts, calls, and web chats, so riders get consistent information across all three channels.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Each agency gets its own short code or toll-free number. Riders text that number, and every reply comes from it. Your voice line can stay on a separate number.
The software setup takes a few weeks if you publish GTFS and GTFS-RT. Carrier registration for a new short code can take longer, so we file it in the first week. We write the registration with you, including the sample messages and the opt-in wording.
English and Spanish. A rider who texts in Spanish gets the answer in Spanish. The Spanish keywords PARAR, AYUDA, and UNIR work alongside STOP, HELP, and JOIN.
No. RideInfo answers transit questions by text. Riders who need a person still call your customer service line.
Fixed-route service that is in your GTFS feed. Paratransit and demand-response trips are not covered.
Pricing depends on your text volume and on whether you add phone and web chat. Ask us for a quote with your monthly text count.
See RideInfo answer a rider's text
In a demo, we text a stop number, sign up for a route alert, send a broadcast, and check delivery results in the dashboard.