[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":233},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-\u002Fblog\u002Finvisible-costs-of-routing-privacy-pricing-mau-trap\u002F":3,"related-blog-\u002Fblog\u002Finvisible-costs-of-routing-privacy-pricing-mau-trap\u002F":201},{"id":4,"title":5,"abstract":6,"author":7,"body":15,"description":180,"excerpt":6,"extension":181,"head":6,"image":182,"imageAlt":183,"keywords":184,"meta":191,"modified":6,"navigation":192,"path":193,"proficiencyLevel":6,"published":194,"rawbody":195,"schemaOrg":6,"schemaType":6,"section":185,"seo":196,"stem":199,"__hash__":200},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Finvisible-costs-of-routing-privacy-pricing-mau-trap.md","The Invisible Costs of Routing: Privacy, Pricing, and Avoiding the \"MAU\" Trap",null,{"name":8,"slug":9,"jobTitle":10,"bio":11,"twitterCreator":12,"sameAs":13},"Ian Wagner","ian-wagner","Founder & President \u002F COO","Ian is co-founder of Stadia Maps and leads engineering and operations. He works on routing, navigation, and the technical foundations that keep customer applications reliable at scale.","@ianthetechie",[14],"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fian-w-wagner\u002F",{"type":16,"value":17,"toc":171},"minimark",[18,22,35,40,51,54,58,67,75,79,82,85,88,96,100,103,152,155,158],[19,20,5],"h1",{"id":21},"the-invisible-costs-of-routing-privacy-pricing-and-avoiding-the-mau-trap",[23,24,25],"blockquote",{},[26,27,28,29,34],"p",{},"Beyond performance, the long-term viability of any ",[30,31,33],"a",{"href":32},"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-osm-routing-needs-real-time-traffic\u002F","motor vehicle routing project"," hinges on two \"invisible\" variables: data privacy architecture and billing predictability. Stadia Maps eliminates the risks of third-party data harvesting and \"MAU-based\" pricing traps by providing a private-by-design infrastructure and transparent, usage-only billing.",[36,37,39],"h2",{"id":38},"the-risk-of-hidden-liabilities","The Risk of Hidden Liabilities",[26,41,42,43,50],{},"According to the ",[30,44,49],{"href":45,"rel":46,"target":48},"https:\u002F\u002Fvoyager.postman.com\u002Fdoc\u002Fpostman-state-of-the-api-report-2024.pdf",[47],"external","_blank","Postman 2024 State of the API Report",", when developers evaluate APIs, documentation remains the most critical factor for adoption, while performance and reliability are the primary drivers of long-term retention. The long-term viability of a project also often hinges on two \"invisible\" variables: data privacy architecture and billing predictability.",[26,52,53],{},"In an era where many providers treat user behavioral data as a secondary product to harvest, major mapping platforms often use their mobile SDKs as data-collection devices. Relying on these SDKs introduces a black box, so you never know what data they're collecting about your users' behavior. For enterprises with strict compliance requirements, such trust is more than a technical challenge. It represents a significant business risk.",[36,55,57],{"id":56},"privacy-by-architecture","Privacy by Architecture",[26,59,60,61,66],{},"At Stadia Maps, we don't just mitigate the 'creepy' factor of location services; we eliminate it by refusing to collect user data in the first place and maintain ",[30,62,65],{"href":63,"rel":64,"target":48},"https:\u002F\u002Fgdpr.eu\u002Fwhat-is-gdpr\u002F",[47],"privacy"," as a core principle.",[26,68,69,70,74],{},"Our architecture reinforces this commitment by providing a level of privacy that exceeds that of a standard data retention policy, and we take great pains to ",[30,71,73],{"href":72},"\u002Fprivacy\u002Fprivacy-commitment\u002F","ensure we log only what we need",". This architectural choice eliminates the burden of managing user tracking compliance. You own your user data, and we do not ask for it.",[36,76,78],{"id":77},"predictable-usage-based-pricing","Predictable, Usage-Based Pricing",[26,80,81],{},"The second invisible cost involves the 'MAU' (Monthly Active Users) trap. Other Location API providers employ a pricing model that charges for both raw usage and the total number of active users on an SDK. Dual-factor billing creates a moving target that can penalize your success.",[26,83,84],{},"We frequently see developers facing massive bills when their application explodes in popularity, resulting in MAU charges that are completely decoupled from actual revenue.",[26,86,87],{},"The disconnect hits hardest in apps with large, casual user bases. A fleet operator can justify MAU-based billing because every user on the platform is a known, revenue-generating asset with predictable headcount, predictable costs, predictable margins. But consider a navigation app with a million registered users, most of whom open it once a month to find a coffee shop. They each count the same as a daily power user, yet generate no direct revenue. For these apps, MAU billing doesn't align cost with value and quietly accumulates a financial liability that scales with your success, not your margins.",[26,89,90,91,95],{},"Our predictable pricing model provides peace of mind by avoiding unpredictable bills. Most of our customers fit onto ",[30,92,94],{"href":93},"\u002Fpricing\u002F","fixed-price plans",", which provide the predictability required to scale a business without fear of a \"surprise\" bill at the end of the month. Even at the enterprise level, our pricing remains transparent and scales directly with the value you consume.",[36,97,99],{"id":98},"frictionless-migration-and-growth","Frictionless Migration and Growth",[26,101,102],{},"A common barrier to switching providers is the perceived effort of integration. However, the switch to Stadia Maps is often far simpler than teams expect.",[104,105,106,131],"ul",{},[107,108,109,113,114,119,120,124,125,130],"li",{},[110,111,112],"strong",{},"API Compatibility:"," Our navigation-focused format extends the ",[30,115,118],{"href":116,"rel":117,"target":48},"https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002FProject-OSRM\u002Fosrm-backend",[47],"OSRM format",", the de facto industry standard. Such compatibility makes our API work with systems built for Mapbox and others. Because our ",[30,121,123],{"href":122},"\u002Fproducts\u002Frouting-navigation\u002F","Routing & Navigation APIs"," are modern, flexible, and open-source, replicating your current routing API calls often takes less than an hour of engineering time ",[30,126,129],{"href":127,"rel":128,"target":48},"https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fsdks\u002Foverview\u002F",[47],"with our SDKs",".",[107,132,133,140,141,146,147,151],{},[110,134,135,139],{},[30,136,138],{"href":137},"\u002Fproducts\u002Frouting-navigation\u002Fferrostar-navigation-sdk\u002F","Ferrostar Navigation SDK",":"," While switching mobile SDKs involves more work, our Ferrostar project is the only flexible, ",[30,142,145],{"href":143,"rel":144,"target":48},"https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fstadiamaps\u002Fferrostar",[47],"open-source alternative"," to black-box proprietary SDKs. Ferrostar gives you full control over the ",[30,148,150],{"href":149},"\u002Fblog\u002Fbeyond-the-car-routing-for-specialized-fleets\u002F","navigation experience"," while ensuring your user data stays private.",[26,153,154],{},"The cost of staying with a provider that treats your data as its own or obscures your monthly costs is high. Moving to a private, predictable alternative is likely easier than your current roadmap suggests.",[156,157],"hr",{},[26,159,160,165,166,170],{},[30,161,164],{"href":162,"rel":163,"target":48},"https:\u002F\u002Fclient.stadiamaps.com\u002Fsignup\u002F",[47],"Create a free account"," to experience predictable, usage-based pricing today, or ",[30,167,169],{"href":168},"\u002Fswitch-to-stadia\u002F","see how quickly you can switch"," to a private, developer-first alternative.",{"title":172,"searchDepth":173,"depth":173,"links":174},"",4,[175,177,178,179],{"id":38,"depth":176,"text":39},2,{"id":56,"depth":176,"text":57},{"id":77,"depth":176,"text":78},{"id":98,"depth":176,"text":99},"Most mapping SDKs harvest user data and charge by MAU — penalizing your success. See how Stadia Maps eliminates both risks with private-by-design infrastructure and transparent, usage-only billing.","md","\u002Fimages\u002Fog\u002Frouting-privacy-pricing-og.png","The Invisible Costs of Routing: Privacy, Pricing, and Avoiding the 'MAU' Trap — Stadia Maps",[185,186,187,188,189,190],"Routing","Navigation","Privacy","Pricing","Ferrostar","OSRM",{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Finvisible-costs-of-routing-privacy-pricing-mau-trap","2026-06-10","---\ndescription: >-\n  Most mapping SDKs harvest user data and charge by MAU — penalizing your\n  success. See how Stadia Maps eliminates both risks with private-by-design\n  infrastructure and transparent, usage-only billing.\nseo:\n  title: \"The Invisible Costs of Routing: Privacy, Pricing, and the MAU Trap\"\n  ogTitle: \"The Invisible Costs of Routing: Privacy, Pricing, and Avoiding the 'MAU' Trap\"\npublished: \"2026-06-10\"\nimage: \u002Fimages\u002Fog\u002Frouting-privacy-pricing-og.png\nimageAlt: \"The Invisible Costs of Routing: Privacy, Pricing, and Avoiding the 'MAU' Trap — Stadia Maps\"\nsection: \"Routing\"\nkeywords:\n  - Routing\n  - Navigation\n  - Privacy\n  - Pricing\n  - Ferrostar\n  - OSRM\nauthor:\n  name: \"Ian Wagner\"\n  slug: \"ian-wagner\"\n  jobTitle: \"Founder & President \u002F COO\"\n  bio: \"Ian is co-founder of Stadia Maps and leads engineering and operations. He works on routing, navigation, and the technical foundations that keep customer applications reliable at scale.\"\n  twitterCreator: \"@ianthetechie\"\n  sameAs:\n    - \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fian-w-wagner\u002F\"\n---\n\n# The Invisible Costs of Routing: Privacy, Pricing, and Avoiding the \"MAU\" Trap\n\n> Beyond performance, the long-term viability of any [motor vehicle routing project](\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-osm-routing-needs-real-time-traffic\u002F) hinges on two \"invisible\" variables: data privacy architecture and billing predictability. Stadia Maps eliminates the risks of third-party data harvesting and \"MAU-based\" pricing traps by providing a private-by-design infrastructure and transparent, usage-only billing.\n\n## The Risk of Hidden Liabilities\n\nAccording to the [Postman 2024 State of the API Report](https:\u002F\u002Fvoyager.postman.com\u002Fdoc\u002Fpostman-state-of-the-api-report-2024.pdf), when developers evaluate APIs, documentation remains the most critical factor for adoption, while performance and reliability are the primary drivers of long-term retention. The long-term viability of a project also often hinges on two \"invisible\" variables: data privacy architecture and billing predictability.\n\nIn an era where many providers treat user behavioral data as a secondary product to harvest, major mapping platforms often use their mobile SDKs as data-collection devices. Relying on these SDKs introduces a black box, so you never know what data they're collecting about your users' behavior. For enterprises with strict compliance requirements, such trust is more than a technical challenge. It represents a significant business risk.\n\n## Privacy by Architecture\n\nAt Stadia Maps, we don't just mitigate the 'creepy' factor of location services; we eliminate it by refusing to collect user data in the first place and maintain [privacy](https:\u002F\u002Fgdpr.eu\u002Fwhat-is-gdpr\u002F) as a core principle.\n\nOur architecture reinforces this commitment by providing a level of privacy that exceeds that of a standard data retention policy, and we take great pains to [ensure we log only what we need](\u002Fprivacy\u002Fprivacy-commitment\u002F). This architectural choice eliminates the burden of managing user tracking compliance. You own your user data, and we do not ask for it.\n\n## Predictable, Usage-Based Pricing\n\nThe second invisible cost involves the 'MAU' (Monthly Active Users) trap. Other Location API providers employ a pricing model that charges for both raw usage and the total number of active users on an SDK. Dual-factor billing creates a moving target that can penalize your success.\n\nWe frequently see developers facing massive bills when their application explodes in popularity, resulting in MAU charges that are completely decoupled from actual revenue.\n\nThe disconnect hits hardest in apps with large, casual user bases. A fleet operator can justify MAU-based billing because every user on the platform is a known, revenue-generating asset with predictable headcount, predictable costs, predictable margins. But consider a navigation app with a million registered users, most of whom open it once a month to find a coffee shop. They each count the same as a daily power user, yet generate no direct revenue. For these apps, MAU billing doesn't align cost with value and quietly accumulates a financial liability that scales with your success, not your margins.\n\nOur predictable pricing model provides peace of mind by avoiding unpredictable bills. Most of our customers fit onto [fixed-price plans](\u002Fpricing\u002F), which provide the predictability required to scale a business without fear of a \"surprise\" bill at the end of the month. Even at the enterprise level, our pricing remains transparent and scales directly with the value you consume.\n\n## Frictionless Migration and Growth\n\nA common barrier to switching providers is the perceived effort of integration. However, the switch to Stadia Maps is often far simpler than teams expect.\n\n- **API Compatibility:** Our navigation-focused format extends the [OSRM format](https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002FProject-OSRM\u002Fosrm-backend), the de facto industry standard. Such compatibility makes our API work with systems built for Mapbox and others. Because our [Routing & Navigation APIs](\u002Fproducts\u002Frouting-navigation\u002F) are modern, flexible, and open-source, replicating your current routing API calls often takes less than an hour of engineering time [with our SDKs](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fsdks\u002Foverview\u002F).\n- **[Ferrostar Navigation SDK](\u002Fproducts\u002Frouting-navigation\u002Fferrostar-navigation-sdk\u002F):** While switching mobile SDKs involves more work, our Ferrostar project is the only flexible, [open-source alternative](https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002Fstadiamaps\u002Fferrostar) to black-box proprietary SDKs. Ferrostar gives you full control over the [navigation experience](\u002Fblog\u002Fbeyond-the-car-routing-for-specialized-fleets\u002F) while ensuring your user data stays private.\n\nThe cost of staying with a provider that treats your data as its own or obscures your monthly costs is high. Moving to a private, predictable alternative is likely easier than your current roadmap suggests.\n\n---\n\n[Create a free account](https:\u002F\u002Fclient.stadiamaps.com\u002Fsignup\u002F) to experience predictable, usage-based pricing today, or [see how quickly you can switch](\u002Fswitch-to-stadia\u002F) to a private, developer-first alternative.\n",{"title":197,"ogTitle":198,"description":180},"The Invisible Costs of Routing: Privacy, Pricing, and the MAU Trap","The Invisible Costs of Routing: Privacy, Pricing, and Avoiding the 'MAU' Trap","blog\u002Finvisible-costs-of-routing-privacy-pricing-mau-trap","hwqmlw5QI-BDH6lVuit_LgDt1hW_YelgHbHm_6x91r8",[202,211,223],{"title":203,"description":204,"path":205,"published":206,"keywords":207,"rawbody":210},"Fall 2024 Credit Schedule Updates","Increased matrix element limits, navigation aids with OSRM support for routing, and adjustments to the credit schedule.","\u002Fblog\u002F2024-matrix-navigation-credit-updates","2024-09-12",[208,186,190,209,188],"Matrix Routing","Credits","---\ndescription: \"Increased matrix element limits, navigation aids with OSRM support for routing, and adjustments to the credit schedule.\"\npublished: 2024-09-12\nkeywords:\n  - Matrix Routing\n  - Navigation\n  - OSRM\n  - Credits\n  - Pricing\n---\n\n# Fall 2024 Credit Schedule Updates\n\nFor nearly a decade, we’ve helped companies build successful products using location APIs by delivering private,\nfinancially scalable services backed by exceptional human support. In the last two years, we’ve launched two major\nproduct lines: Geocoding and Satellite Imagery, and, in the background, we’ve significantly expanded our Routing API\ncapabilities. With all of these improvements and new functionality, we’re updating our API credit schedule. Current \npricing plans, including base price and additional credit rates, will remain unchanged.\n\nStarting October 1st, we're reducing credits used by all Geocoding, Autocomplete Search, and Isochrone APIs.\nFor some Routing and Matrix APIs, we're increasing credits used. \nWe’re also opening the Optimized Routing and Matrix APIs to the Standard Plan, \nallowing more customers take advantage of our most advanced APIs.\n\n## Even More Affordable Geocoding\n\nOur Geocoding product graduated out of beta just over a year ago, and since then, we’ve reached new levels of scale.\nThis allows us to reduce credit used from 30 to 20 credits per API request—a 30% reduction. The update\napplies to all geocoding and autocomplete search endpoints.\n\n## Improved Routing & Time\u002FDistance Matrix\n\nRouting is one of our oldest services, and over the years, we’ve built it into a world-class product, \nwith customizability few providers can match. \nToday it gets a little bit better.\n\n### Voice & Banner Navigation Aids for Routing & Map Matching\n\nAvailable immediately, \nour [Routing](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news){ target=\"_blank\" }\nand [Map Matching](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Fmap-matching\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news){ target=\"_blank\" }\nAPIs will support navigation aids, \nincluding detailed maneuver information optimized for display, \nand voice prompts in over 25 languages. \nThe new navigation aids are available in OSRM format,\nwhich is used by many mobile SDKs, \nincluding our own [Ferrostar](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fsdks\u002Fferrostar\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news){ target=\"_blank\" }. Where available, these responses also include detailed\nintersection information and speed limits in a single API request.\n\nEach request including these aids will use 30 credits and are available to all Stadia Maps accounts.\n\n### Bigger, Better Matrices\n\nOur [Time\u002FDistance Matrix API](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Ftime-distance-matrix\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news){target=_blank} \nis a critical component for many logistics applications, \nincluding solving the Rich Vehicle Routing Problem. \nUntil now, we’ve had to severely limit our matrix offering. \nThanks to recent infrastructure enhancements, we’re excited to introduce the following major improvements:\n\n1. We're opening the Matrix API to Standard Plan users. Previously, this was limited to our Professional and Enterprise\n   Plans.\n2. We’re increasing the maximum matrix element count by a factor of 10: from 1,000 to 10,000 (for the Professional\n   Plan).\n3. We're offering matrices larger than 10,000 elements by custom agreement. [Contact us to learn more.](mailto:entsales@stadiamaps.com?subject=Time%2FDistance%20Matrix%20Limits)\n\n### Matrix Billing Updates\n\nMatrix API requests will now calculate used credits differently. \nInstead of a flat number credits per request, the Matrix API will use credits per matrix element. \nEach matrix element will consume 10 credits, with no additional charge per request. \nThis adjustment reflects the varying sizes of matrix requests and aligns with industry standard practice. \nIt also enables us to support larger matrices more effectively going forward.\n\n### Other Routing Credit Changes\n\nIsochrone (reachable range) requests will use fewer credits, at 20 credits per request. \nOptimized and Standard routing requests will use more credits, at 40 and 20 credits per request, respectively.\n\n## Credit Change Overview\n\nSince we’ve made quite a few adjustments to the credit schedule, here’s an overview of the changes:\n\n| API                                                                                                                                                                                                                           | Previous                 | Updated                                                        |\n|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|\n| [Optimized routing](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Foptimized-routing\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)                          | 30 credits per request   | 40 credits per request & \u003Cbr> available on the Standard Plan   |\n| [Standard routing](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Fstandard-routing\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)                            | 10 credits per request   | 20 credits per request                                         |\n| [Standard routing (OSRM Format)](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Fstandard-routing\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)              | -                        | 30 credits per request                                         |\n| [Map matching (OSRM Format)](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Fmap-matching\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)                      | -                        | 30 credits per request                                         |\n| [Matrix](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Ftime-distance-matrix\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)                                  | 30 credits *per request* | 10 credits *per element* & \u003Cbr> available on the Standard Plan |\n| [Isochrones](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Fisochrones\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)                                        | 30 credits per request   | 20 credits per request                                         |\n| [Forward Geocoding](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fgeocoding-search-autocomplete\u002Fsearch\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)               | 30 credits per request   | 20 credits per request                                         |\n| [Reverse Geocoding](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fgeocoding-search-autocomplete\u002Freverse-search\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)       | 30 credits per request   | 20 credits per request                                         |\n| [Structured Geocoding](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fgeocoding-search-autocomplete\u002Fstructured-search\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news) | 30 credits per request   | 20 credits per request                                         |\n| [Autocomplete Search](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fgeocoding-search-autocomplete\u002Fautocomplete\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)       | 30 credits per request   | 20 credits per request                                         |\n| [Place Lookup](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Fgeocoding-search-autocomplete\u002Fplace-lookup\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)              | 30 credits per request   | 20 credits per request                                         |\n\n## Learn More & Next Steps\n\n- [Create an account](https:\u002F\u002Fclient.stadiamaps.com\u002Fsignup\u002F?utm_source=marketing_site&utm_campaign=matrix_navigation_credit_updates&utm_content=matrix_navigation_credit_update_news)\n  to get your API key. You can start building today without a credit card!\n- Join our community on [Discord](https:\u002F\u002Fdiscord.gg\u002FqRBy6qqtdT) or [Slack](https:\u002F\u002Fslack.openstreetmap.us\u002F) to share what you're working on or get help.\n- Follow us on [Mastodon](https:\u002F\u002Fen.osm.town\u002F@stadiamaps), [Twitter](https:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002F@stadiamaps),\n  or [LinkedIn](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fcompany\u002Fstadia-maps\u002F), or sign-up for\n  our [mailing list](https:\u002F\u002Feepurl.com\u002Fgs51fD) to stay up to date.",{"title":212,"description":213,"path":214,"published":215,"keywords":216,"rawbody":222},"Beyond the Car: Routing for the Other 90% of Transport","Car-first routing APIs fail trucks, e-bikes, and LSVs. See how Stadia Maps uses Valhalla and OpenStreetMap to deliver modal-specific routing that respects each vehicle's physical and legal constraints.","\u002Fblog\u002Fbeyond-the-car-routing-for-specialized-fleets","2026-05-26",[185,186,217,218,219,220,221],"Valhalla","OpenStreetMap","Fleet Routing","Micromobility","Low-Speed Vehicles","---\ndescription: >-\n  Car-first routing APIs fail trucks, e-bikes, and LSVs. See how Stadia Maps\n  uses Valhalla and OpenStreetMap to deliver modal-specific routing that\n  respects each vehicle's physical and legal constraints.\npublished: \"2026-05-26\"\nmodified: \"2026-06-10\"\nimage: \u002Fimages\u002Fog\u002Fspecialized-routing-og.png\nimageAlt: \"Beyond the Car: Routing for the Other 90% of Transport — Stadia Maps\"\nsection: \"Routing\"\nkeywords:\n  - Routing\n  - Navigation\n  - Valhalla\n  - OpenStreetMap\n  - Fleet Routing\n  - Micromobility\n  - Low-Speed Vehicles\nauthor:\n  name: \"Ian Wagner\"\n  slug: \"ian-wagner\"\n  jobTitle: \"Founder & President \u002F COO\"\n  bio: \"Ian is co-founder of Stadia Maps and leads engineering and operations. He works on routing, navigation, and the technical foundations that keep customer applications reliable at scale.\"\n  twitterCreator: \"@ianthetechie\"\n  sameAs:\n    - \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fian-w-wagner\u002F\"\n---\n\n# Beyond the Car: Routing for the Other 90% of Transport\n\n> Standard \"car-first\" routing APIs often fail to account for the unique legal and physical constraints of specialized fleets. Stadia Maps bridges this gap by leveraging the Valhalla routing engine and OpenStreetMap data to provide granular, modal-specific routing for everything from 10-ton trucks and e-bikes to low-speed vehicles (LSVs).\n\n## The Problem\n\nStandard consumer mapping apps are excellent at getting a passenger car from point A to point B, but the \"car-first\" default is a significant limitation for professional use cases. The moment a business needs to route a 10-ton truck, a delivery e-bike, or a neighborhood electric vehicle, most [Directions APIs](\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-osm-routing-needs-real-time-traffic\u002F) fall apart. Such platforms often lack the flexibility required for specialized fleets and fail to account for the unique legal and physical constraints these vehicles face.\n\n## The Logic Gap\n\nGeneric routing engines often treat a 10-ton semi-truck the same as an e-bike, leading to dangerous route suggestions or illegal maneuvers. Developers shouldn't have to build custom logic layers just to ensure a vehicle stays on a legal road.\n\nStadia Maps solves this by processing [OpenStreetMap (OSM) data](https:\u002F\u002Fwiki.openstreetmap.org\u002Fwiki\u002FRouting_profiles) into a specialized routing graph. Our engine extracts both implicit and explicit vehicle access rules, bridging the gap between raw map data and safe navigation.\n\nBy providing tailored routing profiles for diverse vehicle archetypes, we ensure that every calculation respects the physical and legal constraints of each asset. We leverage the open-source [Valhalla routing engine](https:\u002F\u002Fvalhalla.github.io\u002Fvalhalla\u002F), which allows you to customize desirability factors when you make an API request.\n\nSpecialized profiles for the 10-ton truck and the e-bike enable logistics platforms to automate fleet dispatch and [micromobility](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.mckinsey.com\u002Ffeatured-insights\u002Fmckinsey-explainers\u002Fwhat-is-micromobility) startups to provide riders with reliable, safe navigation.\n\n## The Stadia Maps Difference\n\n[Dynamic costing](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Fstandard-routing\u002F) gives you control over dozens of parameters on the fly, ensuring fleets navigate complex environments efficiently. Key capabilities include:\n\n- **Vehicle Subtypes:** Distinguish between mountain bikes and road bikes, or golf carts and other Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs).\n- **Physical Preferences:** Configure the engine to avoid hills for scooters, disallow U-turns for long trucks, or avoid toll roads entirely.\n- **Precision Waypoints:** Specify that a waypoint must be visited from a particular side of the road, a critical feature for curb-side delivery and waste management.\n- **Direct Map Edits:** Map errors shouldn't take months to fix. Make your own edits directly. Updates can be live in our [routing engine](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Fvalhalla\u002F) within days.\n\n## Specialized Mobility Solutions\n\nFlexibility enables business models that [standard providers](\u002Fblog\u002Finvisible-costs-of-routing-privacy-pricing-mau-trap\u002F) simply cannot support. A prime example is our work with municipalities such as [Peachtree City, GA](https:\u002F\u002Fpeachtree-city.org\u002F216\u002FPaths-Golf-Carts), and [The Villages, FL](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.districtgov.org\u002Frecreation\u002Ftrails.aspx).\n\nThese communities have extensive, legally regulated networks for golf carts and LSVs. Stadia Maps provided the only routing profile customizable enough to fit their local ordinances, such as prohibiting LSVs on roads with speed limits over 35 mph.\n\nWe support almost a dozen routing profiles out of the box, including bus, motorcycle, and pedestrian, with [matrix routing limits](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Ftime-distance-matrix\u002F) that are often orders of magnitude higher than those of our competitors. Whether you are optimizing a transit authority's bus training or dispatching a fleet of e-bikes, your routing engine should adapt to your vehicle, not the other way around.\n\n---\n\n[Create a free account](https:\u002F\u002Fclient.stadiamaps.com\u002Fsignup\u002F) to explore our specialized routing profiles, or [contact our team](mailto:support@stadiamaps.com) to discuss a custom solution tailored to your unique vehicle constraints.\n",{"title":224,"description":225,"path":226,"published":227,"keywords":228,"rawbody":232},"Why Basic OpenStreetMap Routing Needs Real-Time Traffic","OpenStreetMap is a world-class road network, but without real-time traffic it's a static dataset. Here's why algorithmic ETAs fall apart in production logistics and how Stadia Maps closes the gap with TomTom-powered routing.","\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-osm-routing-needs-real-time-traffic","2026-05-12",[185,186,218,229,208,230,231],"Traffic Data","Logistics","TomTom","---\ndescription: >-\n  OpenStreetMap is a world-class road network, but without real-time traffic\n  it's a static dataset. Here's why algorithmic ETAs fall apart in production\n  logistics and how Stadia Maps closes the gap with TomTom-powered routing.\nexcerpt: >-\n  OpenStreetMap is great geography, but without real-time traffic it falls\n  short on ETAs. Stadia Maps closes the gap with TomTom-powered routing.\npublished: \"2026-05-12\"\nmodified: \"2026-05-27\"\nimage: \u002Fimages\u002Fog\u002Fosm-traffic-og.png\nsection: \"Routing\"\nkeywords:\n  - Routing\n  - Navigation\n  - OpenStreetMap\n  - Traffic Data\n  - Matrix Routing\n  - Logistics\n  - TomTom\nauthor:\n  name: \"Ian Wagner\"\n  slug: \"ian-wagner\"\n  jobTitle: \"Founder & President \u002F COO\"\n  bio: \"Ian is co-founder of Stadia Maps and leads engineering and operations. He works on routing, navigation, and the technical foundations that keep customer applications reliable at scale.\"\n  twitterCreator: \"@ianthetechie\"\n  sameAs:\n    - \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fian-w-wagner\u002F\"\n---\n\n# Why Basic OpenStreetMap Routing Needs Real-Time Traffic\n\n> OpenStreetMap (OSM) provides a world-class geographic foundation, but it remains a static dataset. Without real-time traffic integration, routing engines must rely on algorithmic proxies—like road class and legal speed limits—which often lead to unreliable ETAs and logistics bottlenecks.\n\n## The Problem\n\n[OpenStreetMap (OSM)](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.openstreetmap.org\u002Fabout) is one of the world's leading road maps, but a persistent gap remains between fixed geographic data and a [live navigation experience](\u002Fproducts\u002Frouting-navigation\u002F). Without dedicated traffic data, Estimated Times of Arrival (ETAs) are essentially educated guesses. While OSM is excellent at mapping the world's road network, a static dataset cannot capture the actual driving conditions at this exact moment. In [enterprise-grade logistics](\u002Fblog\u002Fbeyond-the-car-routing-for-specialized-fleets\u002F), the lack of live data is often the first significant technical hurdle.\n\n## The Limits of Algorithmic Guesswork\n\nIn the absence of real-time data, a routing engine must estimate travel speeds based on tags and a few common proxies:\n\n- **Road Class:** Assuming a motorway is always faster than a residential street.\n- **Tagged Speed Limits:** Using the legal maximum as the baseline (when the tag even exists).\n- **Network Density:** Adjusting for urban vs. rural environments.\n- **Time of Day:** Using low-granularity buckets like \"daytime\" and \"nighttime.\"\n\nReal-world data show wild variances compared to these static estimates. Road class is a blunt instrument for predicting speed. Missing speed limit tags in open datasets force routing engines to rely on broad averages, resulting in unreliable ETAs and logistics delays. Rule-based algorithms are also notoriously bad at predicting choke points because open datasets don't account for traffic light timings, congestion near specific exits, or the \"invisible\" friction of a busy intersection.\n\n## The Stadia Maps Difference\n\nTo move from guesswork to precision, we integrated [TomTom's global traffic data](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.tomtom.com\u002Fproducts\u002Ftraffic-apis\u002F) directly into the [Stadia Maps routing engine](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002F). High-resolution historical profiles and live feeds allow for accurate, real-time routing. We provide this through three key technical pillars:\n\n1. **Global Coverage:** Access to consistent data across more countries than almost any other vendor.\n2. **Rapid Updates:** A traffic latency of approximately two minutes allows our API to suggest alternate routes almost as soon as a wreck occurs.\n3. **Historical Profiles:** Deep granularity forms the backbone of predictive routing. High-resolution historical data enables accurate, time-dependent routing in advance, allowing you to plan a route for Tuesday at 8:00 AM based on what might happen on Tuesdays at 8:00 AM.\n\n## Fleet Intelligence at Scale\n\nFor dispatch, optimization, and fleet operations, [matrix routing](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002Ftime-distance-matrix\u002F) (calculating the time and distance between many origins and destinations) is the engine's most critical function.\n\nThe Stadia Maps infrastructure supports matrix requests that are significantly larger than most competitors allow on standard plans. By integrating traffic data directly into these large-scale requests, we eliminate the need for developers to split requests into smaller chunks, reducing unnecessary complexity and latency.\n\nDevelopers maintain full agency over their implementation. We provide the fastest route based on live conditions, but the frequency of re-routing remains entirely in your control. Choice of revalidation frequency puts you in charge of the trade-off between real-time accuracy and [scaling costs](\u002Fpricing\u002F), ensuring your bills remain as predictable as your ETAs.\n\n---\n\n[Create a free account](https:\u002F\u002Fclient.stadiamaps.com\u002Fsignup\u002F) to start building with real-time traffic and high-performance routing today. Our [documentation](https:\u002F\u002Fdocs.stadiamaps.com\u002Frouting\u002F) provides everything you need to integrate TomTom-powered precision into your existing OSM workflow.\n",1781097102670]