Port 1287: RouteMatch — The port that coordinates public transit

Port 1287 is registered with IANA for RouteMatch, a transit management software system used by hundreds of public transportation agencies across North America and Australia.¹²

What RouteMatch Does

RouteMatch is software that runs public transit operations. It handles:

• Paratransit scheduling — Coordinating rides for people who can't use fixed-route buses
• Vehicle dispatching — Telling drivers where to go and when
• Real-time tracking — Knowing where every bus and van is at any moment
• Route optimization — Finding the most efficient paths through a city
• Automated fare collection — Processing payments
• Analytics and reporting — Understanding how the system is performing

When someone calls to schedule a paratransit ride, when a dispatcher reroutes a bus around traffic, when a rider checks "where's my bus?" on their phone—RouteMatch software is coordinating those operations. Port 1287 is how different components of that system communicate.³

The Story

RouteMatch Software was founded in 2000 in Atlanta, Georgia. The company built tools specifically for transit agencies—the organizations trying to move people around cities efficiently, especially people who need specialized transportation services.

The problem they were solving: public transit is phenomenally complex logistics. A paratransit system might need to schedule hundreds of rides per day, each with specific pickup windows, wheelchair accessibility requirements, and route constraints. Doing this manually is nearly impossible. Doing it efficiently requires software that can optimize routes in real time.

RouteMatch became one of the leading providers of this software, serving more than 600 transit agencies worldwide. In 2020, Uber acquired RouteMatch to strengthen Uber Transit. Then in 2022, RouteMatch was acquired again by TripSpark and Modaxo, where it continues to operate as a brand within TripSpark's suite of transportation solutions.⁴⁵

Why This Port Matters

Most network ports carry general-purpose traffic—web pages, email, file transfers. Port 1287 carries something more specific: the operational instructions for public transit systems.

This port represents the digitization of public infrastructure. Before software like RouteMatch, paratransit scheduling was done with paper, phone calls, and whiteboards. Dispatchers coordinated routes manually. Real-time tracking didn't exist. The inefficiency meant fewer rides, longer wait times, and higher costs.

Software changed that. And software needs ports to communicate.

Every time a transit agency uses RouteMatch to coordinate a ride for someone who depends on paratransit—someone getting to a medical appointment, to work, to the grocery store—there's a chance port 1287 carried that message. Most riders never see it. But it's there, part of the invisible digital layer that makes modern transit possible.

Port Range and Registration

Port 1287 is in the registered ports range (1024-49151). These ports are registered with IANA for specific services, but unlike well-known ports (0-1023), they don't require root privileges to bind to.

The registration means RouteMatch officially requested and was granted port 1287 for their software. Other applications could technically use this port, but doing so would risk conflicts with RouteMatch installations.

Checking What's Listening

To see if RouteMatch or anything else is listening on port 1287:

On Linux or macOS:

sudo lsof -i :1287
# or
sudo netstat -tulpn | grep 1287

On Windows:

netstat -ano | findstr :1287

If you see something listening on port 1287 and you're not running RouteMatch software, investigate. It could be another application using the same port, or something you didn't expect.

Security Considerations

Port 1287 is not commonly targeted by attackers because it's application-specific. However, any open port is a potential attack surface.

If you're running RouteMatch software:

• Keep it updated with security patches
• Use firewalls to restrict access to trusted networks only
• Don't expose port 1287 to the public Internet unless necessary
• Monitor for unexpected traffic

If you're not running RouteMatch software and see port 1287 open, determine what's using it. Unrecognized services on unexpected ports warrant investigation.

Related Ports

RouteMatch software likely uses multiple ports for different components of its system. Port 1287 is the officially registered port, but the full application suite may communicate over additional ports for databases, web interfaces, mobile app APIs, and other services.