GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification)

The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) is an open data standard originally developed by Google and TriMet (Portland, Oregon) that defines a common format for public transit agencies to publish their route, schedule, stop, and fare data. A GTFS feed consists of a collection of CSV files packaged in a ZIP archive, with required files describing stops, routes, trips, stop times, and calendar dates, and optional files for fare rules, transfers, shapes, and frequencies. GTFS has become the global standard for transit data, with over 2,500 agencies worldwide publishing feeds. GTFS-realtime extends the specification with real-time vehicle positions, service alerts, and trip updates delivered through Protocol Buffer feeds. GISGISGeographic Information Systems (GIS) enable users to analyze and visualize spatial data to uncover patterns, relation... tools and transit analysis platforms like OpenTripPlanner, Conveyal, and TransitCenter's TransitStat ingest GTFS data to perform routing, accessibility analysisAccessibility AnalysisAccessibility Analysis measures how easily people can reach destinations such as jobs, services, healthcare, and amen..., and service evaluation. Applications include trip planning applications like Google Maps and Apple Maps that provide transit directions, transit accessibilityTransit AccessibilityTransit Accessibility measures how easily people can reach destinations using public transportation, considering fact... research that measures how well systems connect people to opportunities, service equity analysis that evaluates coverage across demographics, headway and reliability monitoring, and schedule optimization. GTFS Pathways extends the standard to describe in-station navigation including stairs, elevators, and fare gates, improving accessibility information for riders with mobility impairments. The GTFS ecosystem continues to evolve with extensions for fares, flex (demand-responsive) services, and ride-hailing integration.