The April 2025 GTFS Digest is here! This month, the community is voting on clarifications around trip modifications in GTFS Realtime. Key proposals include distance-based fare support, cEMV payment fields, and new governance process updates. Join the discussion on complex fare structures, trip modeling, and in-seat transfers. Plus, register for the free GTFS Fares webinar happening on May 28!
The March 2025 GTFS Digest highlights the community review of the GTFS Schedule Governance Proposal and the release of GTFS Validator v7.0, now supporting full Flex validation rules and Rider Categories for GTFS-Fares v2. Two votes are underway: updates to demand-responsive transit (DRT) and deprecating TripUpdate.schedule_relationship = ADDED. Active proposals include cEMV contactless payment support and car ferry allowances.
This month’s update highlights the adoption of rider_categories.txt in GTFS-Fares v2, a clarification on continuous pickup/dropoff rules for demand-responsive transit currently up for a vote, and new discussions shaping the specification. The community is debating whether a null fare_media_id should act as a wildcard for transfer rules, whether the StopTimeEvent timestamp should shift from int64 to uint64, and why GTFS field names use singular forms even for multi-value relationships.
The January GTFS Digest covers the ongoing vote on rider_categories.txt for GTFS-Fares v2, the adoption of agency_fare_url clarifications, and proposals like original_trip_id for trip referencing and boarding_permissions.txt for vehicle carriage rules. Discussions include GTFS Realtime versioning and best practices for unique IDs.
Let's celebrate the Digest's 1-year anniversary with 2 votes and an adoption to the specification. The community is currently voting on a proposal to clarify the use of agency_fare_url and a proposal that specifies the behavior of ADDED, and un-deprecate REPLACEMENT in TripUpdates. We also recommend that you take a look at the latest adoption that adds fare_leg_join_rules.txt to the specification.
November’s highlights include the Governance Changes Proposal, a new GTFS Realtime feature linking feed versions to schedules, and voting on fare leg join rules. Active proposals and discussions tackled Fares rider categories, flexible pathways, and demand-based frequencies,
Key updates from the October 2024 GTFS Digest include a vote on adding a feed_version field to GTFS Realtime feeds, the adoption of trip modification adjustments for Realtime, and ongoing proposals like enhancements to station modeling and rider categories in GTFS-Fares v2. Conversations across GTFS channels focused on implementation questions, validator updates, and evolving best practices. The 2024 International Mobility Data Summit in Montreal also brought together global GTFS community members for impactful exchanges and collaboration.
The September 2024 GTFS Digest highlights recent contributions, including adopted proposals on validity rules for polygons and clarifications for from/to_stop_id in transfers.txt. It also features active proposals like adjustments to trip modifications and updates to nonconsecutive transfers in GTFS-Fares v2. This edition showcases a surge of new conversations, sparking discussions on HTTPS best practices, route deviation, and more.
This month’s GTFS Digest features GTFS.org’s new design with improved navigation and a Community Section. We cover recent updates like conditional stops.txt and recommended headsigns, ongoing votes on polygon validity and transfer clarifications, and key discussions on trip scheduling. Don’t miss the GTFS Flex Webinar and GTFS-Fares v2 Meeting—explore the latest and join the conversation!
Key updates include the inclusion of shapes.txt for all route-based services (#470), clarification of stop_times.timepoint to mean no timepoint values are provided if empty (#474), and feed_info.txt updated to be Conditionally Required (#460). The community is voting on updates to stops.txt requirements for demand-responsive services (#472).