Q: How does the web design and GTFS process work?
A: Generally, we start with a phone call to figure out what exactly you’re looking for, then we send over a quote and an agreement. If everything looks good, we then get a bunch of information from you about your agency’s system and preferences (including the exact latitude and longitude of your stops and turn-by-turn directions of the your routes) then proceed to the design phase. We’ll send you a special link to review everything before it goes live, and go back and forth as much as is necessary to get it right. Once we launch, we’ll invoice your agency, then standby for any route or schedule changes that may come down in the future. Updates like that are included with the price of your annual subscription, and we’re always here.
Q: My agency doesn’t have a lot of money. Can we afford you?
A: We know money is always tight at rural transit agencies, so our plans start at just $99 per fixed route per year, plus a $100 base fee. That kind of cash would barely get you in the door at most graphics design firms.
Q: How can you possibly charge so little?
A: Short answer: Extremely low overhead. Long answer: We’ll do well enough in the money department if we build and maintain good relationships with clients who stick with us year after year.
Q: Why is it better to host on your web site instead of my agency’s web site?
A: We’re already set up for it, and when we use our templates and other tools the process goes very fast, which is one reason we charge so little. That said, if you absolutely must have the content on your site, we can probably work something out, though there may be extra costs involved since it will take quite a bit more time. But here’s one possible workaround: We can set your domain name up to automatically transfer to the site we create for you, which means riders won’t know the difference unless they happen to glance at the url bar.
Q: How long does this all usually take?
A: Web design and launch is a matter of weeks. The GTFS process starts with Google, and their process often lasts several months.