[GTFS Digest] September 2025 - New cEMV Field Adopted¶

This month, the GTFS community voted on a few proposals, two of which have been adopted into the specification, such as a new cEMV field to easily indicate when contactless payment is accepted. More discussions concerning a SPECIAL_EVENT field in GTFS-Realtime, network sets in Fares V2, and best practices for hosting GTFS files continue on, so make sure to join in!

The GTFS Digest is a resource distributed monthly by MobilityData providing an overview of developments on GTFS.

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🏅 Contributor Shoutouts¶

Every month we highlight the contributions the GTFS community has made. This month we’d like to highlight the following contributions.

Contributor	Contribution
Sierra W.	First contribution on the GTFS-Fares channel
Masahiro Bessho, Matt Caywood, Masahiko Fukuda, Masaki Ito, M1LL3RD, BKK-Budapest	Casting their first vote on a PR
ODPT	First producer and first vote on PR# 545

🗳️ Currently Voting¶

Below is a list of proposals that are currently being voted on. We invite you to take a look and participate in the voting process.

Proposal	Advocate	Description	Voting Deadline
[GTFS Fares v2] Semantics clarification #561	Tzujenchanmbd (MobilityData)	Proposal to clarify semantics on GTFS Fares v2 files	October, 6th

🚀 Recently Adopted¶

This month, we’re celebrating the proposals that made it across the finish line. Check them out below.

Proposal	Advocate	Description	Adoption Date
Add `cemv_support` field in `agency.txt` and `routes.txt` #545	Sergiodero (MobilityData)	This PR introduces a new cemv_support field in `agency.txt` and routes.txt to indicate if riders can use contactless Europay, Mastercard, and Visa to access a transit service under a specific agency or route	Vote closed on September 29th
Add `stops.stop_access` field #515	tzujenchanmbd (MobilityData)	This PR adds a `stop_access` field in `stops.txt` to indicate how the stop is accessed for a particular station. Please refer to this proposal for details.	Vote closed on September 22nd

📂 Active Proposals¶

These proposals are seeing a lot of discussion and could use your input!

Proposal	Advocate	Description	Status
[GTFS Fares v2] Update forbidden for `network_id` in `routes.txt` if `networks.txt` exists too #581	Skalexch (MobilityData)	This PR adds networks.txt to files that forbid the existence of `network_id` in `routes.txt`	Discussion Period
GTFS and GTFS-realtime decision process #579	Ckraatz (SimplifyTransit)	This PR aims to modify the governance process for GTFS Schedule and Realtime.	Discussion Period
Add network sets and relax constraint on networks in `fare_leg_join_rules.txt` #578	Skalexch (MobilityData)	This proposal adds two new files: `network_sets.txt` and `network_set_elements.txt`, while also relaxing some of the requirements for `fare_leg_join_rules.txt`. This would allow to match effective fare legs that span multiple networks.	Discussion Period
Add `communication_period` and `impact_period` #546	Skalexch (MobilityData)	This PR clarifies and disambiguates the GTFS Realtime Alert spec's `active_period` field by introducing two new fields: `communication_period` and `impact_period`. The discussion focuses on use cases and exclusions.
Add new `SPECIAL_EVENT` Cause to GTFS-realtime Service Alerts #577	Ckraatz (SimplifyTransit)	This proposal adds a new Cause called "Special Event" to GTFS-realtime Service Alerts applicable to disruptions such as parades, sporting events, concerts, etc.	Discussion Period
add `trip_route_type` into `trips.txt` GTFS static #572	miklcct(Jnction)	This proposal adds a new optional field, called `trip_route_type`, into `trips.txt`.	Discussion Period
Add addition best practice on hosting GTFS files #567	doconnoronca (Transee)	This proposal introduces a best practice for hosting GTFS files, recommending that public web servers avoid blocking non-browser requests or limiting access by region, focusing instead on preventing abusive behavior.	Discussion Period

Other open proposals:¶

🐙 Most Active Conversations on Github¶

Github Issues is a great place to start a conversation, whether it’s about a new feature idea or a question about a spec. Below are this month’s most active conversations.

Conversation	Author	Description
Add Cause and DayTimePeriod to GTFS-TripModifications #580	Ckraatz (Simplify Trannsit)	This discussion centers around the possibility of adding new information elements to Trip Modifications, to communicate the cause of the modification and the days and time periods when the modification will take place.

🔥 Most Active Conversations on Slack¶

This month’s round-up of the most active discussions on the GTFS Slack channels.

Author	Description	Slack Channel
Stephen Miller	Looked for volunteers to interview agencies about GTFS	#gtfs
Leonard Ehrenfried	Asked about the interpretation of a case including network_id and from/to_area_id	#gtfs-fares
Lars Persson	Asked for advice regarding creating an app using Transit data	#gtfs-realtime

📅 Upcoming Events¶

Event	Date	Location
GTFS Fares V2 Working Group Meeting	Oct 28, 2025	Online

💬 Join the GTFS Community¶

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Thank you for reading this edition of the GTFS Digest! We look forward to bringing you the latest GTFS updates in 2025 and beyond.