A Hybrid Conference: Toronto, Canada
(in person and Virtual)

June 23-25, 2026

TransitData is an international symposium dedicated to the advancement of data-driven methods and analysis in public transportation planning, operations, and management. As transit agencies and researchers gain access to increasingly rich data (from automated fare collection (AFC), vehicle location (AVL), passenger counting systems, and other sources), TransitData offers a collaborative forum to explore the opportunities and challenges of automated transit data.

Now in its 10th edition, the TransitData Symposium brings together researchers, transit professionals, and industry experts from around the world to share data-related insights and innovations that are shaping the future of urban mobility.

To maximize participation from transit practitioners during these times of budgetary constraints, the Symposium will be organized in a hybrid format. This will allow for in-person attendance in Toronto for those who wish to network, while also providing virtual access for those who want to benefit from the valuable knowledge being presented. The Symposium will feature a mix of technical sessions, including lightning presentations and panel discussions.

Those wishing to explore the presentations from the previous TransitData 2020 Symposium can find the presentations and recordings hyperlinked at https://transitdata2020.ca/ .

TOPICS

The topics of the TransitData 2026 Symposium will include, but are not limited to:

  • The use of advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence in public transit

  • Applications using automated data to enhance strategic or service planning, performance measurement, fare policy, market research, and equity

  • Applications using automated data to assist in operations control, incident management, and service restoration

  • Use of automated data to understand demand, customer behavior, normal patterns of travel, and response to service disruptions

  • Methodological challenges in using automated data

  • New technologies and approaches for data collection

  • Visualization tools

  • Organizational challenges related to data management and governance

  • Transit automated data specifications and their use (e.g., GTFS, TIDES, TODS)

  • Other emerging topics

Transit Data 2026 Special Call: AI and Data Analytics for Efficient and Reliable Transit

Guest editors: Amer Shalaby, Saeid Saidi, Brendon Hemily

We are pleased to announce a special call for papers, organized as part of the Transit Data Symposium 2026, on “AI and Data Analytics for Efficient and Reliable Transit” in the Journal of Public Transportation.

This Special Issue invites research and practice-oriented contributions that translate automated transit data into more efficient, reliable, and equitable public transport services. We welcome submissions aligned with the scope of TransitData2026, including strategic and service planning, performance measurement, fare policy, equity and market insights, operations control, predictive maintenance, crowding management, incident detection and response, disruption and special-event impacts, and service restoration.

We also encourage submissions that focus on methodological contributions, including data fusion, origin-destination inference, causal evaluation, bias and representativeness, validation and benchmarking, as well as papers on emerging data collection technologies, visualization, data standards, governance, and organizational adoption. Practitioner-led case studies, real-world deployments, lessons learned, and decision-ready tools from transit agencies are especially welcome.

The submission portal will open during the symposium, and submissions will be due by the end of September 2026. Further details are available here.