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Fares v2

Fares v2 is a GTFS extension project that aims to address the limitations of Fares v1. This extension project is being adopted in iterations. The below examples outline how to model basic concepts, including fare products and how riders can use their fare for transfers. See more information about the Fares v2 extension project here.

In the interim, producers may implement Fares v2 alongside the implementation of Fares v1 in the same dataset as there is no technical conflict between the two. Consumers will have the choice of which implementation to consume independently from the other. With adoption and sufficient endorsement of Fares v2, Fares v1 may be deprecated in the future. In the interim, producers may implement Fares v2 alongside the implementation of Fares v1 in the same dataset as there exists no technical conflict between the two. Consumers will have the choice of which implementation to consume independently from the other.

The below examples outline how to model data using Fares v2 and it can be completed with experimental features outlined in the full proposal document.

Fares v2 training and free resources

To get started with GTFS Fares-v2, you can watch these four video tutorials and follow along with this written resource.

  • Video 1: GTFS Fares-v2: An introduction
  • Video 2: GTFS Fares v2: Setting up Google Sheets
  • Video 3: GTFS Fares v2: Creating and Maintaining Data
  • Video 4: Exporting and Publishing GTFS Fares v2

They have been created for transit agencies to understand the purpose of GTFS-Fares v2, as well as how to use Google Sheets to create, edit, and upload GTFS-Fares v2 data.

This Fares v2 template can be used for creating the necessary fares files from scratch.

Fares v2 data modelling examples

Define a transit fare

There are several ways to pay fares to use the Maryland Transit Administration system. There are four types of regular full price fare options:

  • One-way ticket that costs $2.00 USD
  • Day pass that costs $4.60 USD
  • Weekly pass that costs $22 USD
  • A monthly pass that costs $77 USD

Transit tickets or fares are referred to as fare products in GTFS. They can be described using the fare_products.txt file. Each entry corresponds to a specific fare.

fare_products.txt

fare_product_id fare_product_name amount currency
core_local_oneway_fare One Way Full Fare 2.00 USD
core_local_1_day_fare 1-Day Pass - Core Service 4.60 USD
core_local_31_day_fare 31-Day Pass - Core Service 77.00 USD
core_local_7_day_fare 7-Day Pass - Core Service 22.00 USD

Download the Maryland Transit Administration local bus GTFS feed


Create rules for single leg journeys

In GTFS, a fare leg corresponds to a trip that a rider makes without transferring between different modes, routes, networks, or agencies. In the Maryland Transit Administration's feed, a single fare allows riders to travel within any pair of stops and subway stations within the core network of BaltimoreLink buses, Light RailLink and Metro SubwayLink routes.

Leg groups define trips within a network from an origin to a destination (or a set of origins to a set of destinations if the area IDs correspond to grouped stops). The file below describes rules to travel anywhere within the Maryland Transit Administration’s core network. Each rule corresponds to one of the regular fare products in the Define a transit fare example.

fare_leg_rules.txt

leg_group_id network_id fare_product_id
core_local_one_way_trip core core_local_oneway_fare
core_local_one_way_trip core core_local_1_day_fare
core_local_one_way_trip core core_local_31_day_fare
core_local_one_way_trip core core_local_7_day_fare

Download the Maryland Transit Administration local bus GTFS feed


Create rules for transfers

There is a 90 minute transfer for riders who purchase a one-way fare to ride BaltimoreLink local buses, Metro SubwayLink, or Light RailLink. This means that they can transfer an unlimited number of times between the local buses, subway, and light rail within the 90 minute timeframe.

fare_transfer_rules.txt

from_leg_group_id to_leg_group_id duration_limit duration_limit_type fare_transfer_type transfer_count
core_local_one_way_trip core_local_one_way_trip 5400 1 0 -1

The file above represents this in GTFS with the following fields:

  • A transfer is possible to and from legs that are a one way trip (core_local_one_way_trip)
  • The transfer_count is set to -1 since there is no limit on the number of transfers permitted
  • The duration_limit is set to 5400 seconds, which is equivalent to 90 minutes
  • The duration_limit_type is set to 1 since the transfer time starts when the rider departs on any route in the core_local_one_way_trip fare leg and ends when they depart on a different fare leg.
  • The fare_transfer_type is set to 0 since riders only pay for the first fare. There is no transfer fee or a second fare for transferring within the 90 minute window. Hence, the cost can be modeled as the sum of the first fare and the sum of the transfer fees.
  • The transfer_count is set to -1 as the rider can transfer an unlimited number of times within the 90 minute duration_limit window.

After defining the fare, creating the appropriate fare_leg_rule, and defining the fare_transfer_rule, you can see the $2.00 USD core_local_oneway_fare appear in trip planners. Here is an example from Transit:

fare of $2 USD

Download the Maryland Transit Administration local bus GTFS feed

Describe service locations in the same fare zone

Some transit agencies operate a zone-based fare structure. Fare zones are divided geographic areas associated with different fare prices. In Bay Area’s BART system, fares are different depending on the origin and destination (BART fare differences), and transit riders will need to know the right fare. Fare areas can be described using the stops_areas.txt file, which assigns stops from stops.txt to areas.txt.

First, identify the area in areas.txt . It is acceptable to leave area_name blank if there is no area name. In the table below, there are three area_id - ASHB, GLEN, and OAKL.

areas.txt

area_id area_name
ASHB
GLEN
OAKL

Afterwards, using stop_id from the stops.txt file, group stops together to its respective identified area (fare zone).

Next, group stop_id to each area_id. In the BART example, each area contains only 1 stop_id. For instance, only stop ASHB (Ashby Station) is included in the area ASHB However, if an area includes multiple stops, multiple stop_id should be listed.

stops_areas.txt

area_id stop_id
ASHB ASHB
GLEN GLEN
OAKL OAKL

In fare_leg_rules.txt, different fare products can be identified based on different departure and arrival areas. For example, the first entry shows:

  • Departure area is ASHB
  • Arrival area is GLEN
  • The fare product for the departure/arrival area is BA:matrix:ASHB-GLEN

fare_leg_rules.txt

leg_group_id from_area_id to_area_id fare_product_id
BA ASHB GLEN BA:matrix:ASHB-GLEN
BA ASKB OAKL BA:matrix:ASHB-OAKL

The fare is identified in fare_products.txt.

fare_products.txt

fare_product_id fare_product_name amount currency
BA:matrix:ASHB-GLEN generated 4.75 USD
BA:matrix:ASHB-OAKL generated 9.45 USD

See the San Francisco Bay Area Regional feed


Describe what fare media is accepted

San Francisco Muni riders can use several different types of fare media to pay for their trip and validate their fare:

These validation methods are referred to as fare_media in GTFS-Fares v2 and can be described using fare_media.txt.

Below is an example snippet from the San Francisco Bay Area Regional Feed that can be accessed with the 511 SF Bay API.

Clipper is described as a physical transit card with fare_media_type=2. SFMTA Munimobile is described as a mobile app with fare_media_type=2. Cash has no fare media, since it is given directly to the driver without a ticket. As a result, Cash is fare_media_type=0.

fare_media.txt

fare_media_id fare_media_name fare_media_type
clipper Clipper 2
munimobile SFMTA MuniMobile 4
cash Cash 0

See the San Francisco Bay Area Regional feed

Additionally, producers who want to describe a physical ticket as a fare media can use fare_media_type=1.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) allows users to pay for trips and passes using a physical paper ticket called CharlieTicket. To reflect this, there is a charlieticket fare media in MBTA’s feed with a fare_media_type=1.

fare_media.txt

fare_media_id fare_media_name fare_media_type
cash Cash 0
charlieticket CharlieTicket 1
mticket m Ticket app 4

See the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority feed

Define price differences based on fare media

Muni's fare price is different based on the fare media the rider uses. This example will cover how the adult local fare price changes when using cash or Clipper card. An adult local fare paid for with cash costs $3 USD and the same fare paid for with the Clipper card costs $2.50, 50 cents less.

Each entry below describes a fare media.

fare_media.txt

fare_media_id fare_media_name fare_media_type
clipper Clipper 2
cash Cash 0

The fare_products.txt file snippet below shows how the amount of the Muni single local fare product varies depending on the fare media that the rider uses.

fare_products.txt

fare_product_id fare_product_name amount currency fare_media_id
SF:local:single Muni single local fare 3 USD cash
SF:local:single Muni single local fare 2.5 USD clipper

In Apple Maps, riders can see how their fare price changes. You can compare fare prices under the "Board the Muni J Church train" instruction:

cash fare of $3 USD Clipper card fare of $2.50 USD

See the San Francisco Bay Area Regional feed

Describe a contactless fare media option

The Clean Air Express in Northern Santa Barbara County accepts contactless payment by credit card, Google Pay and Apple Pay.

In the Clean Air Express feed, there is a tap_to_ride fare media with a fare_media_type=3, since it’s a cEMV (contactless Europay, Mastercard and Visa) option.

fare_media_id fare_media_name fare_media_type
tap_to_ride Tap to Ride 3

The single ride fare product shown below has both cash and tap-to-ride fare media options. When the single ride is paid for with the tap-to-ride fare media, it is one USD dollar cheaper.

fare_products.txt

fare_product_id fare_product_name fare_media_id amount currency
single-ride Single Ride tap_to_ride 6 USD
single-ride Single Ride 7 USD

Download the Clean Air Express feed

Define price differences based on time and day of trip

Certain transit agencies vary their fares based on the time and/or day of the week. This means that fares are associated with a time period where the trip is made, such as peak, off-peak hours, or weekends.

Washington DC’s Metrorail fares vary based on multiple factors, including the day and time of the trip. Variable time fares in GTFS can be defined using timeframes.txt, in which it is possible to designate specific time periods that then can be associated in fare_leg_rules.txt to assign the applicable fare product that corresponds to the time when the trip is made. The following is a fictional example, based on WMATA's fares as of spring 2023.

First, service days are defined using calendar.txt.

calendar.txt

service_id monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday sunday start_date end_date
weekday_service 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 20220708 20221231
saturday_service 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 20220708 20221231
sunday_service 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 20220708 20221231

Afterwards, the desired timeframes are defined in timeframes.txt, providing an id, the applicable days via a reference to calendar.service_id, and if applicable, the start time and end time for each time period.

timeframes.txt

timeframe_group_id start_time end_time service_id
weekday_peak 5:00:00 9:30:00 weekday_service
weekday_offpeak 9:30:00 15:00:00 weekday_service
weekday_peak 15:00:00 19:00:00 weekday_service
weekday_offpeak 19:00:00 21:30:00 weekday_service
weekday_late_night 21:30:00 24:00:00 weekday_service
weekday_late_night 00:00:00 5:00:00 weekday_service
weekend saturday_service
weekend sunday_service

Next, the corresponding time specific fares in fare_products.txt are created (e.g. Peak fare)

fare_products.txt

fare_product_id fare_product_name amount currency
peak_fare Peak fare 5 USD
regular_fare Off-peak fare 3 USD
weekend_fare Weekend Metrorail one-way fare 2 USD
late_night_fare Late Night flat fare (Mon - Fri after 9:30pm) 2 USD

Lastly, timeframes are associated with fare products in fare_leg_rules.txt using the fields from_timeframe_group_id and to_timeframe_group_id. These fields determine whether a fare applies solely to the start of the leg or both the start and end of the leg. For this example, based on WMATA fares, the fare depends only on the leg's departure timeframe, so to_timeframe_group_id is left blank.

fare_leg_rules.txt

network_id fare_product_id from_timeframe_group_id to_timeframe_group_id
1 weekend_fare weekend
1 late_night_fare weekday_late_night
1 peak_fare weekday_peak
1 regular_fare weekday_offpeak

Note that network_id references the foreign ID networks.network_id or routes.network_id, and that the selection of the correct fare product for each trip will be a combination of arrival and departure times from stop_times.txt along with the times defined in timeframes.txt.

In this case, a user paying for a trip that departs at 7:30 AM would have to pay 5.00 USD (Peak fare) while another user departing at 11:30 AM would only have to pay a 3.00 USD fare (Off-peak fare).

Define time-variable fares along with zone based fares

In New York's MTA Metro-North railroad network, fares vary based on both the time of the day of the trip, as well as the trip’s origin and destination areas. The following example illustrates the fare rules applicable to a trip from Grand Central Station to Cold Spring (NY, USA).

This example is based on a dataset produced by ITO World, featuring a trip that uses ten stops distributed in six different areas.

stops.txt

stop_id stop_name stop_lat stop_lon
ITO1669 Peekskill 41.285103 -73.930916
ITO1777 Beacon 41.505814 -73.984474
ITO1789 New Hamburg 41.58691 -73.947624
ITO1804 Croton-Harmon 41.190002 -73.882393
ITO1824 Cortlandt 41.246258 -73.921783
ITO1856 Garrison 41.381126 -73.947334
ITO1887 Harlem-125th Street 40.805256 -73.939148
ITO1897 Cold Spring 41.415382 -73.958092
ITO2096 Poughkeepsie 41.707058 -73.93792
ITO2383 Grand Central 40.752823 -73.977196

stop_areas.txt

area_id stop_id
mnr_1 ITO1887
mnr_1 ITO2383
mnr_HUD-5 ITO1804
mnr_HUD-6 ITO1669
mnr_HUD-6 ITO1824
mnr_HUD-7 ITO1856
mnr_HUD-7 ITO1897
mnr_HUD-8 ITO1777
mnr_HUD-8 ITO1789
mnr_HUD-9 ITO2096

route_networks.txt

network_id route_id
mnr_hudson 669

networks.txt

network_id network_name
mnr_hudson MNR Hudson Line

Service days for train services 3 and 13 are defined using calendar.txt. Notably, other records with generic days (i.e. weekdays, weekends, and anyday) that aren't associated with any trips are defined, and these will be associated with timeframes in order to model time-variable fares.

calendar.txt

service_id monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday sunday start_date end_date
13 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 20230612 20231006
3 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 20230609 20231006
weekdays 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 20220101 20240101
weekends 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 20220101 20240101
anyday 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 20220101 20240101

Records are created in timeframes.txt, including cases where the time covers the 24-hour range period (anytime, weekdays and weekends), and peak and off-peak periods:

  • AM Peak: from 6 am to 10 am on weekdays
  • AM2PM Peak: from 6 AM to 9 AM and from 4 pm to 8 pm on weekdays
  • Not AM Peak: weekday time not included in AM Peak
  • Not AM2PM Peak: weekday time not included in AM2PM Peak

timeframes.txt

timeframe_group_id start_time end_time service_id
anytime 00:00:00 24:00:00 anyday
weekdays 00:00:00 24:00:00 weekdays
weekends 00:00:00 24:00:00 weekends
mnr_ampeak 06:00:00 10:00:00 weekdays
mnr_notampeak 00:00:00 06:00:00 weekdays
mnr_notampeak 10:00:00 24:00:00 weekdays
mnr_am2pmpeak 06:00:00 09:00:00 weekdays
mnr_am2pmpeak 16:00:00 20:00:00 weekdays
mnr_notam2pmpeak 00:00:00 06:00:00 weekdays
mnr_notam2pmpeak 09:00:00 16:00:00 weekdays
mnr_notam2pmpeak 20:00:00 24:00:00 weekdays

Each individual fare product is defined in fare_products.txt. Since Cold Spring is located in zone 7, this example only lists trips between zone 1 and 7. The full dataset would include a record for each price defined by a time and zone combination. Additionally, the example only displays one fare media (paper), but additional combinations could be created if prices would also vary based on the fare media.

fare_products.txt

fare_product_id fare_product_name fare_media_id amount currency
mnr_1:HUD-7_adult_peak Outbound Adult Peak Zonal Fare paper 20.00 USD
mnr_1:HUD-7_adult Outbound Adult Off Peak Zonal Fare paper 15.00 USD
mnr_HUD-7:1_adult_peak Inbound Adult Peak Zonal Fare paper 20.00 USD
mnr_HUD-7:1_adult Inbound Adult Off Peak Zonal Fare paper 15.00 USD

Lastly, the combinations of origin and destination areas, along with their respective timeframes are associated with the corresponding fare product in fare_leg_rules.txt. Here, trips starting or arriving in Zone 1 (i.e. area_id=mnr_1) during peak times are subject to a specific peak fare corresponding to the arrival and departure zones of the trip (i.e. fare_product_id=mnr_1:HUD-7_adult_peak).

fare_leg_rules.txt

network_id from_area_id to_area_id fare_product_id from_timeframe_group_id to_timeframe_group_id
mnr_hudson mnr_1 mnr_HUD-7 mnr_1:HUD-7_adult mnr_notam2pmpeak anytime
mnr_hudson mnr_1 mnr_HUD-7 mnr_1:HUD-7_adult weekends anytime
mnr_hudson mnr_1 mnr_HUD-7 mnr_1:HUD-7_adult_peak mnr_am2pmpeak anytime
mnr_hudson mnr_HUD-7 mnr_1 mnr_HUD-7:1_adult weekdays mnr_notampeak
mnr_hudson mnr_HUD-7 mnr_1 mnr_HUD-7:1_adult weekends anytime
mnr_hudson mnr_HUD-7 mnr_1 mnr_HUD-7:1_adult_peak weekdays mnr_ampeak

Using this dataset, a user boarding train #869 (service_id=3) scheduled to depart from Grand Central (zone mnr_1) at 6:45 pm would have to pay an Outbound Adult Peak Zonal Fare of 20.00 USD, since the trip is originated in the mnr_am2pmpeak period and from zone mnr_1.

Alternatively, a user traveling in train #883 (service_id=13) would pay an Outbound Adult Off Peak Zonal Fare of only 15.00 USD, as this train is scheduled to depart Grand Central (zone mnr_1) at 9:04 pm.

In Apple Maps, riders can see how their fare price changes and compare fare prices next to the train scheduled departure:

Outbound Adult Peak Zonal Fare of 20.00 USD Outbound Adult Off Peak Zonal Fare of 15.00 USD