Trufi Association

What Trufi Association does

Trufi Association is a Hamburg-based non-profit NGO registered under German law (eingetragener Verein, VR 24026) that builds open-source public transport applications and open transit data for cities, with a specialized focus on informal paratransit networks in the Global South. The organization was founded in 2019 by German and Bolivian volunteers following an earlier 2018 pilot in Cochabamba, and operates a small paid staff (11–50) alongside a community of more than 500 volunteers who map informal routes into OpenStreetMap and contribute to the codebase. Its core product, Trufi Core, is a configurable Flutter-based codebase that cities and partners use to launch white-label journey planner apps, with city-specific deployments including Trufi App for Cochabamba (625+ routes), Trotro for Accra, BusBoy for Duitama and Sogamoso, Rutometro across 8 Mexican cities, and Arequipa Bus in Peru. Supporting services span GTFS data creation, OpenTripPlanner consulting, MaaS integrations, Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) validation, chatbots for mobility, and transport research, all delivered on top of OpenStreetMap data and the OpenTripPlanner routing engine.

Trufi monetizes through a hybrid donation-and-services model. As a registered non-profit, it accepts individual and corporate donations via DonorBox and corporate sponsorship programs, and pursues grant and development-finance relationships with organizations including GIZ, the World Bank, TUMI, MobiliseYourCity, and AFD. Cities seeking implementation support can engage Trufi across three professional service tiers: a Basic tier where local communities self-deploy the open-source app, a Premium tier where Trufi helps customize the app, set up OTP servers, and create GTFS data, and a Full Service tier where Trufi supports the city through mapping, app development, and launch. Pricing for the paid tiers is not publicly disclosed and is presumably quote-based. The customer base consists almost entirely of municipal governments and city transport authorities across the Americas, Africa, and Europe, with strategic alliances also held with HOTOSM, Codeando México, MobilityData, UITP, ITDP, WRI, Deutsche Bahn, HOCHBAHN, and HVV.

Name

Trufi Association

Legal name

Trufi Association e.V.

Website

https://trufi-association.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trufi Association is a Hamburg-based non-profit NGO that builds open-source public transport apps and open transit data, specializing in informal paratransit networks for municipalities and cities in the Global South.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Transit Software

NAICS

Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation (48599), Support Activities for Transportation (488), Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Ground Transport Metasearch (Rail/Bus/Rideshare/Transfers) (THALAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ground Transportation & Mobility Program Management (THAKAMAJ), Corporate Mobility & Ground Transport Management (THALANAI)

Keywords

• Open source transit software
• Public transport journey planner
• Informal transport mapping
• GTFS data services
• Mobility as a service apps

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: As a non-profit NGO, Trufi relies on donations from individuals and corporate sponsors. The organization accepts donations through DonorBox and offers corporate sponsorship options.
2. Professional Services (Three Tiers): Basic tier: Local communities use open-source app independently. Premium tier: Trufi helps customize app, set up OTP servers, create GTFS. Full Service tier: Trufi supports cities through entire process including mapping, app development, and launch.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Trufi Association builds open-source public transportation journey planner applications and provides related transport data services for cities, primarily in the Global South. Its flagship is Trufi Core, a configurable Flutter-based codebase used to launch white-label city apps (Trufi App, Trotro App, BusBoy, Rutometro, Arequipa Bus) that map and route formal and informal transport via OpenStreetMap and OpenTripPlanner, with offline functionality. It also offers professional services — GTFS creation, OTP consulting, MaaS integrations, VGI validation, chatbots, and transport research — to municipal governments on Basic, Premium, and Full Service tiers.

Product overview

Trufi Association offers a platform of open-source public transport applications and mapping services. The core product is Trufi Core, a configurable Flutter-based codebase enabling cities and organizations to launch white-label journey planner apps. City-specific implementations include Trufi App for Cochabamba, Trotro App for Accra, BusBoy for Colombia, Rutometro for Mexico, and Arequipa Bus for Peru. Supporting services include GTFS data creation, OpenTripPlanner consulting, MaaS integrations, VGI validation, transport research, and chatbot services. The portfolio integrates with OpenStreetMap for mapping data and OpenTripPlanner for routing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trufi App: Main white-label public transportation journey planner app with offline functionality and community-mapped routes for informal transport.
• Trufi App V5
• Trotro App
• BusBoy
• Arequipa Bus
• Rutometro
• stadtnavi
• Nicht ohne mein Rad (Not Without My Bike)
• route:able
• Trufi Core

Products and services

• Trufi Core Configurable Flutter-based open-source codebase that powers white-label public transport journey planner apps for cities and organizations worldwide, supporting cross-platform iOS/Android deployment.
• Trufi App for Cochabamba Journey planner app for Cochabamba, Bolivia featuring informal transport routes unavailable elsewhere, offline functionality, inter-provincial trip planning, and 625+ community-mapped routes. Version 5 launched July 2026.
• Trotro App Public transport app for Accra, Ghana built on Trufi Core code, providing trotro (minibus) journey planning with community-mapped routes.
• BusBoy App Journey planner app for Duitama and Sogamoso in Colombia's Boyacá department, with routes maintained by the Duitama Mapping Stars student group at Salesiano College.
• Rutometro

Quantifiable outcome

• 625+ routes mapped and maintained by volunteers for Cochabamba alone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOTOSM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on mapping projects including Mexico's Rutometro initiative and other transport data projects. HOT provides volunteer mappers and OSM expertise while Trufi contributes mapping methodology and GTFS conversion.
• Codeando MéxicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Mexico transport mapping projects including Rutometro multi-city app covering 8 cities. Codeando México brings civil society and government connections for data collection.
• GIZmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) partners on urban mobility projects. GIZ Peru visited Duitama to learn from Trufi's BusBoy implementation.
• World BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on transport data and mobility initiatives. World Bank supports sustainable urban transport development globally.
• ITDP (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint webinars on cycling data, active mobility, and transport planning. ITDP brings expertise in sustainable transport policy and Cycling Cities program.
• World Resources Institute (WRI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on urban mobility and transport research initiatives. WRI focuses on sustainable cities and transport.
• Deutsche BahnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman railway company partnership for potential future collaboration on German transport projects.
• MobilityDatacoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on GTFS standards and transit data specifications. MobilityData develops and maintains GTFS standards.
• UITP (International Association of Public Transport)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrufi participated in UITP Summit 2025 in Hamburg, hosted Paratransit Working Group dinner, and engaged with global transport leaders on informal transport issues.
• HVV (Hamburg Public Transport Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Hamburg transport authority partnership. Trufi President met with HVV officials and Hamburg's Minister of Transport.
• Mobility HubcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerColombia-based company specializing in transport technology training courses. Partnering with Trufi to develop online course for transport mapping using expertise from Duitama Mapping Stars.
• HOCHBAHNminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHamburg transport authority partnership for German mobility projects.
• TUMI (Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIZ-supported initiative for sustainable urban mobility in developing countries. Supports cities in implementing better transport solutions.
• MobiliseYourCitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting sustainable urban mobility in developing countries, co-funded by EU and governments.
• ITS World CongressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipation in ITS World Congress for transport technology visibility.
• Principles for Digital DevelopmentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrufi is an endorser of the Principles for Digital Development, demonstrating commitment to open source, open data, and community-driven approaches.
• TransitecminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTransport consulting firm partnership.
• Cambio Car SharingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman car sharing company partnership.
• Logistik Initiative HamburgminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLogistics and mobility cluster in Hamburg.
• City of Duitama de BoyacácoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government partnership for BusBoy app implementation. City provides official support for transport data collection and hosts student mappers from Salesiano College.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• OpenTripPlanner: OpenTripPlanner is the open-source routing engine that Trufi uses and offers consulting services around. It is comparable as a foundational technology peer in the same open-source transit ecosystem.
• ITDP (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy): ITDP is a major sustainable transport policy organization that partners with Trufi on webinars and active mobility. It is comparable as an adjacent organization in the sustainable urban mobility advocacy and implementation space.
• MobilityData: MobilityData develops and maintains GTFS standards and is a strategic partner of Trufi. It is comparable as an ecosystem enabler operating in the same open transit-data standards space.
• Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOTOSM): HOTOSM is a core strategic partner of Trufi that leads volunteer-driven OpenStreetMap mapping worldwide. It is comparable as an ecosystem participant enabling Trufi's data pipeline, with overlapping volunteer/mission-driven culture.

Direct peers

• Transit App: Transit is a multi-modal journey planning app widely deployed in North American and European cities. It is comparable to Trufi in product (app-based journey planning for public transport) and customer (urban riders), though it focuses on formal transit networks.
• Citymapper: Citymapper offers multimodal urban journey planning in major global cities. It is comparable to Trufi in core product functionality (multi-modal journey planning apps), though Citymapper targets large formal-transit metros rather than informal transport.

Broad incumbents

• Moovit: Moovit is a leading global mobility-as-a-service app covering public transit across thousands of cities. It is comparable to Trufi as a competing journey-planning platform, though it focuses on formal transit and is far broader in scope.
• Google Maps (Transit): Google Maps is the dominant global mapping and transit platform with growing transit coverage in emerging markets. It is comparable to Trufi as the de-facto incumbent in transit journey planning that Trufi's open-source offering must coexist with.

Emerging players

• Where Is My Transport: Where Is My Transport digitizes informal transit networks in emerging markets, similar to Trufi's focus on paratransit. It is comparable as a direct niche competitor in formalizing informal transit data for the Global South.

Regional players

• Swvl / Buser (Latam-focused ground transport): Swvl and similar regional players operate in Latin American and African ground mobility markets where Trufi also deploys. They are comparable as adjacent mobility players serving overlapping geographies and customer segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/trufiassoc
• GitHubgithub.com/trufi-association
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/FlutterExplained
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trufi-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/trufi_association
• Facebookfacebook.com/TrufiAssoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trufi Association