specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Transit
providerId: transit
created: '2026-05-23'
modified: '2026-05-23'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
  - Public Transit
  - Mobility
  - Freemium
description: >-
  FOCUS-aligned FinOps profile for Transit: a freemium developer API
  (5 calls/minute, 1,500 calls/month free) paired with a B2C $2/month
  Royale subscription and B2B partner agreements where transit agencies
  sponsor Royale or pay for higher API throughput.
sources:
  - https://transitapp.com/apis
  - https://transitapp.com/
  - https://blog.transitapp.com/sustainable-for-the-long-haul/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Transit App Inc.
serviceCategory: Mobility + Transit Data
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Freemium + Subscription + Negotiated Partner
  billingFrequency: Monthly / Annual / Negotiated
  billingCurrency: USD
  meteringGranularity: Per-API-key (developer) / Per-subscriber (consumer) / Per-contract (partner)
  invoiceVehicle: App Store / Google Play (consumer); direct invoice (partner agencies)
focusColumns:
  BilledCost: 'USD subscription or partner contract amount'
  EffectiveCost: 'BilledCost minus agency-sponsored discounts on Royale'
  ListCost: '$2/month for Royale, contact-sales for partner API tiers'
  ServiceCategory: 'Mobility'
  ServiceName: 'Transit'
  SkuId: 'royale-annual, api-free, api-partner'
  ChargeCategory: 'Usage (API) / Subscription (Royale) / Commitment (partner)'
  ChargeDescription: 'Transit API call quota, Royale subscription, or sponsored agency program'
meters:
  - name: API Calls (Free)
    metric: request
    unit: 1
    granularity: per-key
    notes: Hard quota at 1,500/month and 5/minute on the published free tier.
  - name: API Calls (Partner)
    metric: request
    unit: contract
    granularity: per-contract
    notes: Negotiated volume; no public price list.
  - name: Royale Subscription
    metric: subscriber-month
    unit: 1
    granularity: per-user
    notes: $2/month billed annually; free tier available on request or via sponsoring agency.
  - name: Agency-Sponsored Royale
    metric: rider-month
    unit: 1
    granularity: per-contract
    notes: Transit agencies (e.g. RTS Rochester, Dayton RTA, Denver RTD, St. Louis Metro Transit, Santa Monica Big Blue Bus) cover Royale for all their riders.
principles:
  - name: Teams need to collaborate
    description: >-
      Transit's partnership model requires direct collaboration between
      transit agencies, the partnerships team, and engineering — the
      free API tier alone cannot serve production signage.
  - name: Decisions are driven by business value
    description: >-
      Pricing kept core navigation free to maximize ridership impact;
      Royale monetizes power features without gating fundamental utility.
  - name: Everyone takes ownership for their usage
    description: >-
      Per-key API quotas and per-rider subscriptions push usage
      ownership to the consuming partner and the individual subscriber.
  - name: A centralized team drives FinOps
    description: >-
      A central partnerships function brokers all non-free API
      contracts and sponsored Royale agreements with transit agencies.