Systems and methods for providing an integrated public and/or private transportation service

Abstract

Embodiments of a transportation services platform that allows transit service provider and third party transportation providers to access the platform and provide rules that apply to a state-based view of a route provided to a user application executed by the user device. The application executed by the users device uses the rules to perform actions as a route is presented to a user via a user interface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A transportation services platform for providing transportation services to a user via a transportation services application executed on a user device comprising:
 one or more processing systems communicatively connected;   memory readable by each of the one or more processing systems; and   instructions stored in the memory that direct the one or more processing systems:
 receive a request from an application being executed on a user device to provide a route for a trip; 
 retrieve route information for the trip, where the retrieving of route information includes:
 determining rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route of the trip, where the rules include an event and an action wherein an event is an occurrence that may be detected by data obtained by the application being executed on the user device and an action is a function that the application may perform, 
 adding the rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route to the route information; and 
 
 provide the route information to the application being executed on the user device. 
   
     
     
         2 . The transportation services platform of  claim 1  wherein the instructions further include instructions for directing the one or more processing system to receive a rule from a third party transportation service system and to store the rule in a rules database. 
     
     
         3 . The transportation services platform of  claim 2  wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes invoking a third party transportation service application on the user device. 
     
     
         4 . The transportation services platform of  claim 2  wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes obtaining travel data via the transportation services application being executed by the user device and providing the travel data to the third party transportation service application. 
     
     
         5 . The transportation services platform of  claim 2  wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes providing travel information to the transportation services application being executed by the user device and displaying the travel information to the user via the transportation services application being executed by the user device. 
     
     
         6 . The transportation services platform of  claim 1  wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to maintain a user database that associates user profile information of a user with a username. 
     
     
         7 . The transportation services platform of  claim 6  wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to store and provide comments by a user using the username associated with the user. 
     
     
         8 . The transportation services platform of  claim 6  wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to perform a request for interactions with a third party transportation service system requested by a user using the username associated with the user. 
     
     
         9 . The transportation services platform of  claim 1  wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to:
 receive a request for information from a transit operator system; 
 retrieve data stored by the transportation services platform to satisfy the request for information; and 
 provide the requested information to the transit operator system. 
 
     
     
         10 . The transportation services platform of  claim 1  wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to:
 receive data pertaining to a transportation service from a transit operator system; and 
 store the data in a memory associated with the transportation services platform. 
 
     
     
         11 . The transportation services platform of  claim 1  wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to:
 maintain information including one or more tags in a user profile of a user;
 receive a posting to the transportation services platform; 
 
 determine tags associated with the posting; and 
 provide the posting to each user having a user profile with a tag associated with the posting. 
 
     
     
         12 . The transportation services platform of  claim 1  wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to:
 receive an update of user information; 
 determine tags associated with the update; and 
 add the tags to user profile information stored by the platform. 
 
     
     
         13 . The transportation services platform of  claim 12  wherein the instructions for directing the one or more processors further include instructions for directing the one or more processors to:
 predict possible trips for a user based upon stored user information; and 
 update tags in the user profile information of the user based on the predicted possible trips. 
 
     
     
         14 . A method for providing transportation services over a network using a transportation services platform including one or more processing systems and a memory readable by the one or more processing systems that store instructions for performing the method, the method comprising:
 receiving a request from an application being executed on a user device to provide a route for a trip;   retrieving route information for the trip from information stored by the transportation services platform, where the retrieving of route information includes:
 determining rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route of the trip, where the rules include an event and an action wherein an event is an occurrence that may be detected by data obtained by the application being executed on the user device and an action is a function that the application may perform, 
 adding the rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route to the route information; and 
   providing the route information to the application being executed on the user device over the network.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising receiving a rule from a third party transportation service system and to store the rule in a rules database. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes invoking a third party transportation services application on the user device. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes obtaining travel data via the transportation services application being executed by the user device and providing the travel data to the third party transportation service application. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15  wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes providing travel information to the transportation services application being executed by the user device and displaying the travel information to the user via the transportation services application being executed by the user device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising maintaining a user database that associates user profile information of a user with a username. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising storing and providing comments by a user using the username associated with the user. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising performing a request for interactions with a third party transportation service system requested by a user using the username associated with the user. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 receiving a request for information from a transit operator system; 
 retrieving data stored by the transportation services platform to satisfy the request for information; and 
 providing the requested information to the transit operator system. 
 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 receiving data pertaining to a transportation service from a transit operator system; and 
 storing the data in a memory associated with the transportation services platform. 
 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 maintaining information including one or more tags in a user profile of a user;
 receiving a posting to the transportation services platform; 
 
 determining tags associated with the posting; and 
 providing the posting to each user having a user profile with a tag associated with the posting. 
 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising:
 receiving an update of user information; 
 determining tags associated with the update; and 
 adding the tags to user profile information stored by the platform. 
 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  further comprising:
 predicting possible trips for a user based upon stored user information; and 
 updating tags in the user profile information of the user based on the predicted possible trips. 
 
     
     
         27 . A system for providing transportation services to an application executed on a user device comprising:
 circuitry configured to receive a request from an application being executed on a user device to provide a route for a trip;   circuitry configured to retrieve route information for the trip from information stored by the transportation services platform, where the retrieving of route information includes:
 circuitry configured to determine rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route of the trip, where the rules include an event and an action wherein an event is an occurrence that may be detected by data obtained by the application being executed on the user device and an action is a function that the application may perform, 
 circuitry configured to add the rules provided by third party transportation services that may apply to the route to the route information; and 
   circuitry configured to provide the route information to the application being executed on the user device over the network.   
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 27  further comprising circuitry configured to receive a rule from a third party transportation service system and circuitry configured to store the rule in a rules database. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28  wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes invoking a third party transportation services application on the user device. 
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 28  wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes obtaining travel data via the transportation services application being executed by the user device and providing the travel data to the third party transportation service application. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 28  wherein a rule provided by a third party transportation service system includes an event and an action, where the action includes providing travel information to the transportation services application being executed by the user device and displaying the travel information to the user via the transportation services application being executed by the user device. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 27  further comprising circuitry configured to maintain a user database that associates user profile information of a user with a username. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 32  further comprising circuitry configured to store and provide comments by a user using the username associated with the user. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 32  further comprising circuitry configured to perform a request for interactions with a third party transportation service system requested by a user using the username associated with the user. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 27  further comprising:
 circuitry configured to receive a request for information from a transit operator system; 
 circuitry configured to retrieve data stored by the transportation services platform to satisfy the request for information; and 
 circuitry configured to provide the requested information to the transit operator system. 
 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 27  further comprising:
 circuitry configured to receive data pertaining to a transportation service from a transit operator system; and 
 circuitry configured to store the data in a memory associated with the transportation services platform. 
 
     
     
         37 . The system of  claim 27  further comprising:
 circuitry configured to maintain information including one or more tags in a user profile of a user;
 circuitry configured to receive a posting to the transportation services platform; 
 
 circuitry configured to determine tags associated with the posting; and 
 circuitry configured to provide the posting to each user having a user profile with a tag associated with the posting. 
 
     
     
         38 . The system of  claim 27  further comprising:
 circuitry configured to receive an update of user information; 
 circuitry configured to determine tags associated with the update; and 
 circuitry configured to add the tags to user profile information stored by the platform. 
 
     
     
         39 . The system of  claim 38  further comprising:
 circuitry configured to predict possible trips for a user based upon stored user information; and 
 circuitry configured to update tags in the user profile information of the user based on the predicted possible trips.