· Aaron Brethorst

Google Summer of Code 2026 Project Ideas

Caution: Please do not consider this list to be definitive: we have lots of ideas for projects we want to see pursued as part of GSoC 2026, but will certainly not receive as many slots as we want. The order of the list is also not indicative of priority.

iOS App/Apple Platforms

Modernize the iOS App UI

Difficulty: Advanced // Size: 350 hours

The OneBusAway iOS app has served hundreds of thousands of transit riders well, but its interface is showing its age. We’ve begun initial investigations into modernizing the app’s UI by eliminating the tab bar and adopting a design language closer to Apple Maps—with a focus on a sheet-based interface that feels native to modern iOS.

You will be responsible for pushing this project through to completion. This includes:

  • Working with our design team to finalize the new UI direction
  • Refactoring the app’s navigation architecture to remove the tab bar in favor of a Maps-style sheet-based interface
  • Implementing the new UI in SwiftUI while maintaining compatibility with existing features
  • Ensuring the new design maintains or improves accessibility for VoiceOver users
  • Writing comprehensive UI tests for the new navigation patterns

Expected outcomes:

  • A fully modernized iOS app UI that matches contemporary Apple design patterns
  • Improved user experience with intuitive sheet-based navigation
  • Complete feature parity with the existing app

Golang/Backend Projects

Maglev: Next Generation REST API Server

Difficulty: Advanced // Size: 350 hours // Slots: 2

Maglev is our next generation REST API server, written in Go. It’s designed to be a modern, high-performance replacement for portions of the existing Java-based OBA API server. The project is moving along well, but needs sustained work to become production-ready for transit agencies.

We’re looking for two developers to help us get Maglev across the finish line. You’ll work closely with our core team to:

  • Implement missing API endpoints to achieve parity with the existing OBA API server
  • Build comprehensive test coverage for all endpoints
  • Optimize performance for high-traffic deployments
  • Write documentation for transit agency deployment
  • Implement caching strategies and database optimizations

Expected outcomes:

  • A production-ready REST API server that can serve as a drop-in replacement for transit agency deployments
  • Comprehensive documentation and deployment guides
  • Performance benchmarks demonstrating improvements over the legacy server

Vehicle Tracker: Realtime Vehicle Positioning for Developing Countries

Difficulty: Advanced // Size: 350 hours

The OneBusAway server relies upon specialized software and hardware to generate the vehicle position feeds that power its realtime data. This works well for transit agencies in developed countries with existing AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) systems, but creates a significant barrier for transit systems in developing countries that are building out fixed route transit.

To unlock the potential of OneBusAway for these regions, we need to create a new, lightweight solution for tracking vehicle locations in realtime. This project involves building both a server component and a companion Android app.

You will be responsible for:

  • Building a server application (in Go) that receives vehicle location data and generates GTFS-RT Vehicle Positions protobuf feeds
  • Creating a companion Android app that drivers can use to reliably report their vehicle’s location
  • Implementing secure authentication between the Android app and server
  • Designing the system to work reliably in areas with intermittent network connectivity
  • Building administrative tools for transit operators to manage vehicles and drivers

Expected outcomes:

  • A production-ready server that generates GTFS-RT Vehicle Positions feeds
  • A reliable Android app for vehicle location tracking
  • Documentation for transit agencies to deploy and operate the system
  • Support for offline operation and data sync when connectivity is restored

Web UI

Wayfinder: Feature Development, Accessibility, and Quality

Difficulty: Advanced // Size: 350 hours

Wayfinder is OneBusAway’s next-generation web application, built in SvelteKit with Tailwind CSS. It’s designed to replace the legacy Java-based enterprise webapp and is already being evaluated and deployed by transit agencies around the world. As agencies adopt Wayfinder as their public-facing transit information portal, we need to raise the bar on features, accessibility, and code quality to make it truly production-ready.

This project focuses on three pillars: building key missing features that agencies and riders need, conducting a thorough accessibility audit and implementing its findings, and significantly expanding test coverage to ensure reliability as the project grows.

You will be responsible for:

  • Implementing a favorites/bookmarks system that lets riders save frequently used stops and routes for quick access, using local storage with a thoughtful UI for adding, removing, and browsing saved items
  • Building a service alerts display that surfaces real-time alerts from the OBA API, filtered by route and stop, so riders see relevant disruption information when and where they need it
  • Adding support for dynamic arrival updates — automatically refreshing and adding/removing arrivals in the stop view as time progresses, without requiring a manual page reload
  • Implementing the ability to view departures beyond the default time range, letting riders plan ahead for trips later in the day
  • Conducting a full accessibility audit of the application covering keyboard navigation, screen reader support (NVDA, VoiceOver), color contrast, focus management, and ARIA labeling — then implementing the top-priority fixes
  • Expanding the test suite with comprehensive unit and integration tests using Vitest, focusing on core user flows (search, stop view, arrivals, trip planner) and utility functions, with a goal of reaching meaningful coverage across critical paths
  • Fixing existing bugs such as incorrect trip details display and improving how past departures are labeled

Expected outcomes:

  • A favorites/bookmarks feature with local storage persistence
  • Service alerts integration surfacing relevant disruption information
  • Dynamic, auto-refreshing arrival data in the stop view
  • A written accessibility audit report with prioritized findings
  • Implementation of the top accessibility recommendations from the audit
  • Significantly improved test coverage across components and utilities
  • Bug fixes and fit-and-finish improvements that make Wayfinder feel polished and agency-ready

Your Idea Here!

We don’t have a monopoly on great ideas. Let us know what you think would be a great addition to the OBA platform!