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Choosing the setup that is best for your agency
Many vendors offer “one size fits all” solutions for real-time. The problem is that not only is there no solution that is universally best for all agencies, but you can end up locked into a multi-year contract with a vendor regardless of how technology changes, paying for features you don’t actually use.
Because OneBusAway is open source, your agency can choose how it is run: host it yourself, subscribe to a managed service, or hire a consultant to build and maintain a custom deployment. You can also change your approach later without losing your data or your riders’ apps.
Self-Hosting
If your agency has an on-staff I.T. department or technical team, it may make sense for your agency to host and maintain OneBusAway. Have a technical lead look over the deployment materials, and they can advise you on whether you have the capabilities to host in-house. They may also be able to easily set up and run a test server so you can see it for yourself.
OneBusAway Cloud: the managed service
In 2025, the Open Transit Software Foundation launched OneBusAway Cloud, a managed, subscription-based OneBusAway platform. OneBusAway Cloud offers ‘one-click’ setup with transparent, all-inclusive pricing, and the Foundation operates, monitors, and upgrades the software on your behalf.
As of September 2026, OneBusAway Cloud is the only commercially available managed (software-as-a-service) OneBusAway offering that the Foundation is aware of. Visit the OneBusAway Cloud website to learn more.
Work with a consulting firm
Some agencies prefer a custom deployment that they own outright, but do not have the staff to build and run it themselves. A number of consulting firms have experience deploying, customizing, and maintaining OneBusAway for agencies of different sizes and budgets, typically under a bespoke consulting or professional-services contract rather than as a packaged subscription.
We maintain a list of firms that have told us they are interested in providing OneBusAway hosting or consulting services. Inclusion on the list reflects a firm’s expressed interest and self-reported experience, not an endorsement or certification by the Foundation. If you would like help evaluating a consultant, we recommend getting in touch with the agencies in our deployments list and asking about their experiences.
If you need help scoping or writing an RFP for OneBusAway hosting or services, contact us directly.
This page was last updated on September 13, 2026 to reflect the launch of OneBusAway Cloud and to clarify the distinction between the managed service and consulting firms.