Rik Opstelten
My feedback
10 results found
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI · Admin →
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2 votes3 comments · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Rik Opstelten
commented
To Gaussian Solutions' question: We want the system to make the process of paying for the trip as easy as is technically possible. Your raise payment standards: We would not prescribe a standard, but would look to see that your development plan is based on an understanding of how payments are, or could be handled, and makes clear how easy your system can make the users' question of, "how do I pay for the trip?"
An error occurred while saving the comment Rik Opstelten
commented
As a Concept of Operations phase, phase 1 doesn't require a functional payment system. Your suggested approach of a feasibility assessment and design is more in line with the expectations at this phase
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Rik Opstelten
commented
FTA does not have it's own published research that is explicitly answering the question of what barriers are faced, and the scale of those. It will lie with the proposer to find and utilize research, from a variety of sources, that gives some insight into the most pressing barriers in the Complete Trip.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Rik Opstelten
commented
Rather than improving back-end/agency-facing systems, our solicitation is meant to demonstrate how AI can be used to make the use of whatever transportation resources are available to people easier.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Rik Opstelten
commented
The intent of this solicitation is to demonstrate the potential of AI to support the use of transit by travelers...to place in their hands the information they need to easily choose and use public transportation to meet their individual needs. In that, we assume that the systems proposed are interacting with the existing transportation resources available to a person, rather than supporting changes to the mobility network at their disposal.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Rik Opstelten
commented
Phase 1, as a proof of concept, doesn't require a functional prototype. An architecture design and limited demonstration is more in line with Phase 1 expectations.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Rik Opstelten
commented
Because Phase I focuses on proof of concept and feasibility, and a fully functional prototype is not expected, formal WCAG 2.1 AA compliance testing is not required.
That said, we want to ensure that accessibility is foundational to your concept. An architecture document that defines this, supported by user research would go a long way to building confidence that the eventual product can and would be built in a way usable to all.
It would be beneficial to show how user feedback would inform later design choices, and set the foundation for formally testing for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance should you proceed to full development.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Rik Opstelten
commented
For phase 1, we do not expect a standard to be developed. Identifying a need, and a strategy to address it will suffice in this phase.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Rik Opstelten
commented
It is FTA's goal for any products developed with our funds to be as easily adoptable by as a broad a range of communities as possible. As such, it is beneficial for proposals to describe how their intended development process results in the most easily usable, adaptable, and scalable system, leading to the greatest potential benefit for the greatest number of American communities.
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1 vote1 comment · U.S. DOT FY 2026 Phase I Pre-Solicitation Q&A » 26-FT1: Person-Centered, Carefree, Complete Trip Planning - Powered by AI · Admin →
An error occurred while saving the comment Rik Opstelten
commented
Thank you for the question. We do not envision a geographic focus. Rather, our intent is to see that the proposers have an understanding of the available data that can be used to create carefree, complete trips within a text context, and can define a valid method to integrate those data sources in a way that makes the travel experience easier. Knowing the kinds of data available in different places is important, but we don't prescribe a particular place (and therefore a suite of transportation data sources), as a starting point.
Thank you for these excellent questions. They get straight to the heart of what makes a tool genuinely useful. Your questions point to the kind of factors that will be important to whether, or how fully, it is possible to develop a system that meets the needs of the greatest number of travelers. In short, we hope that proposers will consider what design factors will best ensure the usefulness of a tool, and what factors are practical to address.