Representatives from public transportation systems and businesses participated in a Jan. 19 White House Roundtable on Real Time Transit Applications in Washington, DC. APTA helped organize the meeting, aimed at discussing ways to advance the implementation of real-time public transit information in communities across the nation, leading to greater convenience and ease of use.

White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra said the roundtable was part of the Obama Administration’s initiative to enhance government openness, transparency, and collaboration and help citizens make the right decisions.

Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari said the use of technology would help to make sure that public transit was “firing on all cylinders.”

APTA President & CEO Michael P. Melaniphy said the implementation of real-time information will demystify the customer experience and attract more riders to public transit.

The event demonstrated that open data allows innovative Americans—from the college student to the weekend tinkerer in the garage—the opportunity to create real-time applications that could increase public transportation ridership.

Roundtable participants included representatives from the Centre Area Transportation Authority, State College, PA; City of Chicago; Chicago Transit Authority; Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority; Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority; and New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, as well as Clever Devices, Google, NextBus, RouteMatch, Trapeze, Open Plans, the University of South Florida, and Intelligent Technology Society of America.

Participating at the White House Roundtable from left are APTA President & CEO Michael P. Melaniphy; Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari; White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra; Chris Horsman, chief information officer, Chicago Transit Authority;  Chris Vein of the White House;  and Hugh Mose, general manager of the Centre Area Transportation Authority.