"Public Transportation Open Data Challenge 2026"

To All Media Representatives,

July 1, 2026

Public Transportation Open Data Consortium

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Information Policy Bureau, Information Policy Division

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, General Policy Bureau, Mobility Service Promotion Division

"Public Transportation Open Data Challenge 2026"

~ Solving Regional Transportation Issues with the Power of Digital and Open Data ~

An Application Contest Will Be Held

The Public Transportation Open Data Consortium (Chairman: Ken Sakamura, Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will hold the "Public Transportation Open Data Challenge 2026" (hereinafter referred to as "this Challenge") starting July 1, 2026. This Challenge is an application contest with a total prize money of up to 3 million yen, where general developers will be provided with a large amount of public transportation-related data and open data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and will be asked to develop and submit applications utilizing this data.

In collaboration with "Project LINKS" by the Information Policy Bureau, Information Policy Division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the "Regional Transportation DX Promotion Project "COMmmmONS"" by the General Policy Bureau, Mobility Service Promotion Division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, we will broadly solicit ideas that can lead to the resolution of social issues surrounding regional mobility through the creation of innovation using open data. INIAD cHUB (The Organization for Interdisciplinary Research Projects, Faculty of Information Networking for Innovation and Design, Toyo University), the Center for Ubiquitous Computing Systems, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, and the Association for Promotion of Social Infrastructure Data Distribution (AIGID) will co-host, and we will also collaborate with MobilityData, a global non-profit organization for transportation data. Furthermore, we will collaborate with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Walking Space Navigation Project."

For this Challenge, cooperation is planned from 24 railway companies and bureaus including East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, 107 route bus operators, 351 community bus organizations, 9 municipalities (3 operators) for demand-responsive transport, 28 ferry operators, 4 aviation and airport-related businesses, and 2 share-cycle operators. In addition, barrier-free related data such as walking space network data within stations will also be released.

To participate in this Challenge, you must register as an entrant through the Public Transportation Open Data Center, operated by the Public Transportation Open Data Consortium. Developers can obtain data from the Public Transportation Open Data Center, including data exclusively released for this Challenge, and develop applications by registering as a user and entering this Challenge on the developer site of the Public Transportation Open Data Center. Submission of completed works will also be done through this developer site.

The Public Transportation Open Data Consortium has been holding application contests utilizing public transportation open data since 2017, and this Challenge marks the 7th event. In last year's "Public Transportation Open Data Challenge 2025 -powered by Project LINKS-", approximately 600 developers from Japan and abroad participated. This Challenge is expected to release a larger volume of data than before, and a greater number of developers are anticipated to participate.

Through the holding of this Challenge, we aim to promote the resolution of regional transportation issues and, by extension, the revitalization of regions through the utilization of open data. Please refer to the attached "Outline of the Event" for details.

Sincerely,

[About the Public Transportation Open Data Consortium]

https://www.odpt.org/

The Public Transportation Open Data Consortium is a public-private-academic collaboration consisting of 165 organizations (as of July 1, 2026), including public transportation operators and ICT businesses. It is engaged in activities aimed at opening up public transportation-related data in the fields of railways, buses, aviation, ferries, and share cycles. Since May 2019, it has been operating the "Public Transportation Open Data Center," which provides data from various transportation systems in a one-stop manner.

[About Project LINKS]

https://www.mlit.go.jp/links/

Project LINKS is a cross-sectoral DX promotion project by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It aims to promote data-driven policy-making (EBPM) and the creation of new businesses (open innovation) by reconstructing various administrative information that has not been utilized so far into "data" and making it usable.

[About the Regional Transportation DX Promotion Project "COMmmmONS"]

https://www.mlit.go.jp/commmmons/

"COMmmmONS" views regional mobility resources as a common social infrastructure accessible to everyone, and is a project that strongly promotes fundamental improvements in added value and productivity by standardizing systems, data, and business processes to resolve "transportation deserts."

[Contact Information]

Public Transportation Open Data Consortium Secretariat (within YRP Ubiquitous Networking Research Institute)

Contact: Kashiwa, Yamada Phone: 03-6426-9192, E-mail: odpt-office@ubin.jp

[Attachment]

<Outline of the Event>

[Schedule]

● Contest Period: July 1, 2026 (Wed) - March 12, 2027 (Fri)

● Application Period: October 1, 2026 (Thu) - January 11, 2027 (Mon, Holiday)

● First Screening: January 23, 2027 (Sat) - January 24, 2027 (Sun)

● Final Screening & Awards Ceremony: February 20, 2027 (Sat)

[Recruitment Content]

We are seeking applications for applications and services that utilize various data, including public transportation open data, to solve regional issues and promote new data utilization.

● It is mandatory to utilize public transportation open data such as railways, buses, demand-responsive transport, ferries, aviation, and share cycles, which are available on the "Public Transportation Open Data Center" and "GTFS Data Repository."

● In addition to public transportation open data, strong recommendation is given to utilize open data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Walking Space Navigation Project (Hokonavi)," "Project LINKS," and "Project PLATEAU."

● Utilization of various open data provided by Open Data Partners is also recommended.

[Judging Committee]

A judging committee will be held by judges.

● Judges

Ken Sakamura: Chairman of the Public Transportation Open Data Consortium, Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

Tomotake Yamaguchi: Manager, Marketing Strategy & Group Management Unit, Marketing Strategy Department, East Japan Railway Company

Tzu-Jen Chan: GTFS Program Manager, MobilityData

Akihiko Kusanagi: Postman Inc., Creator of "Mini Tokyo 3D" (Grand Prize Winner, 3rd Tokyo Public Transportation Open Data Challenge)

Masahiro Bessho: Professor, Department of Information and Communications, Faculty of Information Networking for Innovation and Design, Toyo University

[Judging Criteria]

Comprehensive evaluation will be conducted with particular emphasis on the following aspects:

● Contribution to solving social issues

● Impact of open data utilization (Does it promote open data adoption?)

● Technical completeness

● UI/UX completeness

[Awards]

The total prize money is expected to be up to 3 million yen. Special awards from sponsoring organizations are also planned.

[Contest Website URL]

https://challenge2026.odpt.org/

[Organizer]

Public Transportation Open Data Consortium, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

[Co-organizers]

INIAD cHUB (The Organization for Interdisciplinary Research Projects, Faculty of Information Networking for Innovation and Design, Toyo University), Center for Ubiquitous Computing Systems, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Association for Promotion of Social Infrastructure Data Distribution (AIGID)

[Special Cooperation]

Tokyo Metropolitan Government, East Japan Railway Company, MobilityData, Google LLC, YRP Ubiquitous Networking Research Institute

[Cooperation]

<Railway Operators> Akita Railway Co., Ltd., Ise Railway Co., Ltd., Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd., Kyoto Municipal Subway, Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau, Kumamoto Electric Railway Co., Ltd., Keio Corporation, Keikyu Corporation, Sagami Railway Co., Ltd., Metropolitan Sub-urban New Town Railway Co., Ltd., Tama Toshi Monorail Co., Ltd., Tokyu Corporation, Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd., Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, Tokyo Waterfront City Railway Co., Ltd., Tobu Railway Co., Ltd., Toyama Chiho Railway Co., Ltd., Japan Freight Railway Company, Hakodate City Utility Department, East Japan Railway Company, Manyo Line Co., Ltd., Yamagata Railway Co., Ltd., Yurikamome Inc., Yokohama City Transportation Bureau

<Route Bus Operators> Aoi Kotsu Co., Ltd., Aomori City Enterprise Bureau Transportation Department, Akiba Bus Service Co., Ltd., Asa Kaigan Railway Co., Ltd., Izu Hakone Bus Co., Ltd., Itoigawa Bus Co., Ltd., Iyotetsu Bus Co., Ltd., Ueda Bus Co., Ltd., Ugo Kotsu Co., Ltd., Uno Bus Co., Ltd., Oshima Kotsu Co., Ltd., Oritone Kotsu Co., Ltd., Kaenou Bus Co., Ltd., Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu Co., Ltd., Kawasaki City Transportation Bureau, Kawasaki Tsurumi Rinko Bus Co., Ltd., Iwauchi Area Public Transportation Revitalization Council, Kansai Kotsu Co., Ltd., Kanto Bus Co., Ltd., Kita Enakyo Kotsu Co., Ltd., Kita Settsu District Public Transportation Revitalization Council, Kyoto City Subway, Kyoto Bus Co., Ltd., Kiyosato Tourism Promotion Association NPO, Kusakaru Kotsu Co., Ltd., Kushimoto Sightseeing Loop Bus Promotion Council, Kumamoto Urban Bus Co., Ltd., Kumamoto Bus Co., Ltd., Kuroiwa Kanko Co., Ltd., Kumano Gobe Nankai Bus Co., Ltd., Gunma Chuo Bus Co., Ltd., Gunma Bus Co., Ltd., Keio Dentetsu Bus Co., Ltd., Keisei Bus Chiba West Co., Ltd., Keisei Bus Chiba Central Co., Ltd., Fukui Railway Co., Ltd., Prefectural Transportation North Co., Ltd., Kochi Station Front Tourism Co., Ltd., Kochi Prefecture Tourism and Convention Association, Kochi Prefecture Aviation Utilization Promotion Council, Kochi Koryo Kotsu Co., Ltd., Kochi Seinan Kotsu Co., Ltd., Kochi Tobu Kotsu Co., Ltd., Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd., Kotohira Bus Co., Ltd., Sanko Bus Co., Ltd., JR Shikoku Bus Co., Ltd. Kochi Branch, Shimanto Kotsu Co., Ltd., Shimokita Kotsu Co., Ltd., Shimotsui Dentetsu Co., Ltd., Juro Jidosha Co., Ltd., Joshin Kanko Bus Co., Ltd., Joshin Hire Co., Ltd., Shonai Kotsu Co., Ltd., Shiratori Kotsu Co., Ltd., Shinki Kanko Co., Ltd., Shin-Joban Kotsu Co., Ltd., Yokkaichi Life Bus NPO, Seinan Kanko Co., Ltd., Seibu Bus Co., Ltd., Sendai City Transportation Bureau, Sotetsu Bus Co., Ltd., Taishodoh Co., Ltd., Taiyo Kotsu Co., Ltd., Takeya Kotsu Co., Ltd., Chikuma Bus Co., Ltd., Chita Kouno Co., Ltd., Nakikoku Bus Co., Ltd., Tsukuba Kanko Kotsu Co., Ltd., Tokyu Bus Co., Ltd., Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, Tono Railway Co., Ltd., Tobu Bus Co., Ltd., Tokushima City Transportation Bureau, Tokushima Bus Co., Ltd., Tokushima Bus Nanbu Co., Ltd., Tosashimizu City, Tosaden Kotsu Co., Ltd., Toyama Chiho Railway Co., Ltd., Nagai Transport Co., Ltd., Chodenn Bus Co., Ltd., Nagoya City Housing and Urban Development Bureau, Nankai Rinkan Bus Co., Ltd., Nishi-Tokyo Bus Co., Ltd., Nihon Chuo Bus Co., Ltd., Nemuro Kotsu Co., Ltd., Nohi Bus Co., Ltd., Bus Net Tsu NPO, Hachinohe City Transportation Department, Yawata Kanko Bus, Hamamatsu Bus Co., Ltd., East Japan Railway Company, Hitachi Jidosha Kotsu Co., Ltd., Fujikyu Express Co., Ltd., Funaki Railway Co., Ltd., Hokushin Bus Co., Ltd., Hokkaido Takushoku Bus Co., Ltd., Matsue City Transportation Bureau, Mie Kotsu Co., Ltd., Minamishinshu Regional Transportation Issues Council (Minamishinshu Wide Area Federation), Meiko Bus Co., Ltd., Mogami River Transportation Co., Ltd., Yamagata Kotsu Co., Ltd., Yanbaru Express Bus LLC, Yokohama City Transportation Bureau, Ryujin Jidosha Co., Ltd., Reihoku Kanko Jidosha Co., Ltd.

<Community Bus Operators> Aoki Village, Aomori City, Akaiwa City, Akashi City, Aki City, Akita City, Agematsu Town, Ako City, Asahi Town (Yamagata), Asahi Town (Toyama), Ashiya Town, Ama City, Arakawa Ward, Arita River Town, Awaji City, Anjo City, Ando Town, Annaka City, Iijima Town, Iiyama City, Iga City, Ikeda Town, Ise City, Ichikawa Town, Ichikawa Misato Town, Ichinoseki City, Inagawa Town, Inagi City, Inabe City, Ino Town, Ibigawa Town, Imari City, Imizu City, Iwade City, Ueda City, Uozu City, Uchikata Town, Ena City, Oshu City, Omihachiman City, Oizumi Town, Oe Town, Ogaki City, Oguchi Town, Okura Village, Odai Town, Otaki Village, Ota City, Otama Village, Otawara City, Otsuki Town, Omachi City, Owani Town, Ogasawara Village, Okaya City, Oguni Town (Yamagata), Ono City, Obanazawa City, Oyabe City, Owase City, Owariasahi City, Onga Town, Kai City, Kaizu City, Kaiyo Town, Kagamino Town, Kakegawa City, Kakogawa City, Kagoshima City, Kasai City, Kasamatsu Town, Katsushika Ward, Katsuragi Town, Katori City, Kani City, Kanayama Town (Yamagata), Kahoku Town, Kama City, Kamiichi Town, Kamikatsu Town, Kamikawa Town, Kamigori Town, Kami City, Kamishihoro Town, Kaminoyama City, Kameoka City, Kamo City, Kariya City, Karuizawa Town, Kawakami Village, Kawagoe Town, Kawasaki Town, Kanonji City, Kanda Town, Kiso Wide Area Federation, Kiso Town, Kiso Misaki Town, Kiso Town, Kitagawa Village, Kitakyushu City, Kitajima Town, Kita Nagoya City, Kinokawa City, Gifu City, Kiho Town, Kimitsu City, Kiyose City, Kusatsu City, Gujo City, Kunitachi City, Kumagaya City, Kumano City, Kurate Town, Kuroishi City, Kurobe City, Kuwana City, Geisei Village, Koka City, Kochi Prefecture, Kozushima Village, Konan City, Kobe City, Koga City, Kokubunji City, Goshogawara City, Konan City, Komatsu City, Komono Town, Saitama City, Sagae City, Sakata City, Sagawa Town, Sake River Village, Samukawa Town, Sayo Town, Sanjo City, Shiojiri City, Shizuoka City, Shisou City, Shichigahama Town, Shichinohe Town, Shima City, Shimada City, Shimanto City, Shimanto Town, Joetsu City, Shoo Town, Shodoshima Town, Shonai Town, Shiroi Town, Shinonsen Town, Shingu Town, Shin-go Village, Shinjo City, Shinshiro City, Sue Town, Suginami Ward, Sukumo City, Suzaka City, Susaki City, Sumoto City, Suwa City, Seki City, Setouchi City, Seto City, Senboku City, Soeda Town, Sotogahama Town, Taito Ward, Takaoka City, Takasaki City, Takasago City, Takashima City, Takayama City, Takarazuka City, Tagawa City, Taketoyo Town, Taki Town, Dazaifu City, Tajimi City, Tachikawa City, Tatsuno City, Tateyama Town, Tanabe City, Tano Town, Tamba Sasayama City, Chigasaki City, Chikugo City, Chikujo Town, Chikuma City, Chita City, Chiryu City, Tsugaru City, Tsukuba City, Tsu City, Tsuchiura City, Tsuno Town, Tsubame City, Tsuyama City, Tsuruoka City, Tsurugi Town, Tsuruta Town, Tendo City, Toin Town, Tokai City, Chuo Ward, Tokyo, Tohoku Town, Toki City, Tokushima City, Tokoname City, Tosa City, Tosashimizu City, Tozawa Village, Tonami City, Toba City, Toyama City, Toyoake City, Toyooka City, Toyota City, Toyoyama Town, Towada City, Naoshima Town, Nagai City, Nakagawa Town, Nagakute City, Nakatsugawa City, Nakatsu City, Nakatoza Town, Nakadomari Town, Nagano City, Nagahama City, Naka Town, Nakayama Town, Nagareyama City, Nagiso Town, Nagi Town, Nasushiobara City, Nasu Town, Nabari City, Namegata City, Namekawa City, Narita City, Naruto City, Nankoku City, Nanto City, Nanbu Town, Nanyo City, Niimi City, Nishio City, Nishikawa Town, Nishi-Tokyo City, Nishinomiya City, Nishiwaki City, Nikko City, Nisshin City, Ninomiya Town, Nyuzen Town, Niiharu Town, Nirasaki City, Naoetsu City, Hashikami Town, Hashima City, Hachinohe City, Hanamaki City, Hayashima Town, Hanno City, Higashiura Town, Higashiomi City, Higashine City, Higashi-Miyoshi Town, Higashi-Murayama City, Higashi-Yamato City, Hisayama Town, Hida City, Shichiso Town, Hino Town, Himeji City, Hirakawa City, Hirado City, Hirana Town, Hirosaki City, Fukaura Town, Fukuoka City, Fukusaki Town, Fukutsu City, Fujieda City, Buzen City, Hekinan City, Hokuto City, Masuda City, Machida City, Tokyo, Matsusaka City, Matsushige Town, Matsudo City, Matsumoto City, Maniwa City, Magarigawa Town, Misawa City, Mizunami City, Mizuho Town, Mitake Town, Mitoyo City, Minamiawaji City, Minamiise Town, Minamichita Town, Minami Town, Minokamo City, Mihara Village, Mibu Town, Miyake Village, Miyama City, Miyakoshi City, Miyoshi City, Munakata City, Murakami City, Murayama City, Muroto City, Meiwa Town, Motosu City, Motomiya City, Motoyama Town, Moriyama City, Yaita City, Yaese Town, Yaotsu Town, Yasu City, Yasugi Town, Yanai Town, Yanagawa City, Yamagata City, Yamagata City, Yamato-Koriyama City, Yamato-Takada City, Yamabe Town, Yuki City, Yokosuka City, Yoshinogawa City, Yokkaichi City, Yotsukaido City, Yonezawa City, Yomogida Village, Ritto City, Ryugasaki City, Rokkasho Village, Wake Town, Wakō City, Watari Town

<Demand-Responsive Transport Operators> Junpuro Co., Ltd., SWAT Mobility Japan Inc., MONET Technologies Inc. / Annaka City, Kawagoe City, Kinokawa City, Sakai City, Showa Village, Tamamura Town, Tomioka City, Hakuba Village, Hirakawa City

<Ferry Operators> Saijima Kisen Co., Ltd., Uwajima Unyu Co., Ltd., Okushiri Island Ferry Co., Ltd., Kagoshima City Ferry Bureau, Kyusho Ferry Co., Ltd., Sakata City Ferry Service Office, Sanwa Shosen Co., Ltd., Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry Co., Ltd., Shingu Town, Suonada Ferry Co., Ltd., Tanegashima Yakushima Jetfoil Co., Ltd., Toba City, Tokushima City, Tsubame Airport Line Co., Ltd., Tokai Kisen Co., Ltd., Tokyo Cruise Ship Co., Ltd., Toba City, Naruto City, Nippo Ferry Co., Ltd., Habo Coastal Ferry Co., Ltd., Hankyu Ferry Co., Ltd., Himejima Village, Bingo Kisen Co., Ltd., Fuji Kyu Marine Resort Co., Ltd., Fuji Fuji Shimizu Port Cruise Co., Ltd., Marue Ferry Co., Ltd., Marubun Matsushima Kisen Co., Ltd., Munakata City, Meitetsu Kaijo Kanko Sen Co., Ltd., Meimon Taiyo Ferry Co., Ltd.

<Aviation and Airport Related Businesses> All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd., Tokyo International Airport Terminal Co., Ltd., Narita International Airport Corporation, Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.

<Share Cycle Operators> OpenStreet Inc., Docomo Bike Share Co., Ltd.

[Open Data Partners]

Walking Space Navigation Project, PLATEAU, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Data Platform, Digital Regional Revitalization Promotion Organization (VLED), Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan Meteorological Agency, National Police Agency, Geospatial Information Authority of Japan

Sincerely,