Optional. The agency_id field is an ID that uniquely identifies a transit agency. A transit feed may represent data from more than one agency. The agency_id is dataset unique. This field is optional for transit feeds that only contain data for a single agency.

Required. The agency_name field contains the full name of the transit agency. Google Maps will display this name.

Required. The agency_url field contains the URL of the transit agency. The value must be a fully qualified URL that includes http:// or https://, and any special characters in the URL must be correctly escaped. See http://www.w3.org/Addressing/URL/4_URI_Recommentations.html for a description of how to create fully qualified URL values.

Required. The agency_timezone field contains the timezone where the transit agency is located. Timezone names never contain the space character but may contain an underscore. Please refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_zones for a list of valid values.

Optional. The agency_lang field contains a two-letter ISO 639-1 code for the primary language used by this transit agency. The language code is case-insensitive (both en and EN are accepted). This setting defines capitalization rules and other language-specific settings for all text contained in this transit agency's feed. Please refer to http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php for a list of valid values.

Optional. The agency_phone field contains a single voice telephone number for the specified agency. This field is a string value that presents the telephone number as typical for the agency's service area. It can and should contain punctuation marks to group the digits of the number. Dialable text (for example, TriMet's "503-238-RIDE") is permitted, but the field must not contain any other descriptive text.

Required. The stop_id field contains an ID that uniquely identifies a stop or station. Multiple routes may use the same stop. The stop_id is dataset unique.

Optional. The stop_code field contains short text or a number that uniquely identifies the stop for passengers. Stop codes are often used in phone-based transit information systems or printed on stop signage to make it easier for riders to get a stop schedule or real-time arrival information for a particular stop.

The stop_code field should only be used for stop codes that are displayed to passengers. For internal codes, use stop_id. This field should be left blank for stops without a code.

Required. The stop_name field contains the name of a stop or station. Please use a name that people will understand in the local and tourist vernacular.

Optional. The stop_desc field contains a description of a stop. Please provide useful, quality information. Do not simply duplicate the name of the stop.

Required. The stop_lat field contains the latitude of a stop or station. The field value must be a valid WGS 84 latitude.

Required. The stop_lon field contains the longitude of a stop or station. The field value must be a valid WGS 84 longitude value from -180 to 180.

Optional. The zone_id field defines the fare zone for a stop ID. Zone IDs are required if you want to provide fare information using fare_rules.txt. If this stop ID represents a station, the zone ID is ignored.

Optional. The stop_url field contains the URL of a web page about a particular stop. This should be different from the agency_url and the route_url fields.

The value must be a fully qualified URL that includes http:// or https://, and any special characters in the URL must be correctly escaped. See http://www.w3.org/Addressing/URL/4_URI_Recommentations.html for a description of how to create fully qualified URL values.

Optional. The location_type field identifies whether this stop ID represents a stop or station. If no location type is specified, or the location_type is blank, stop IDs are treated as stops. Stations may have different properties from stops when they are represented on a map or used in trip planning.

The location type field can have the following values:

Optional. For stops that are physically located inside stations, the parent_station field identifies the station associated with the stop. To use this field, stops.txt must also contain a row where this stop ID is assigned location type=1.

Required. The route_id field contains an ID that uniquely identifies a route. The route_id is dataset unique.

Optional. The agency_id field defines an agency for the specified route. This value is referenced from the agency.txt file. Use this field when you are providing data for routes from more than one agency.

Required. The route_short_name contains the short name of a route. This will often be a short, abstract identifier like "32", "100X", or "Green" that riders use to identify a route, but which doesn't give any indication of what places the route serves. If the route does not have a short name, please specify a route_long_name and use an empty string as the value for this field.

See a Google Maps screenshot highlighting the route_short_name.

Required. The route_long_name contains the full name of a route. This name is generally more descriptive than the route_short_name and will often include the route's destination or stop. If the route does not have a long name, please specify a route_short_name and use an empty string as the value for this field.

See a Google Maps screenshot highlighting the route_long_name.

Optional. The route_desc field contains a description of a route. Please provide useful, quality information. Do not simply duplicate the name of the route. For example, "A trains operate between Inwood-207 St, Manhattan and Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue, Queens at all times. Also from about 6AM until about midnight, additional A trains operate between Inwood-207 St and Lefferts Boulevard (trains typically alternate between Lefferts Blvd and Far Rockaway)."

Required. The route_type field describes the type of transportation used on a route. Valid values for this field are:

• 0 - Tram, Streetcar, Light rail. Any light rail or street level system within a metropolitan area.
• 1 - Subway, Metro. Any underground rail system within a metropolitan area.
• 2 - Rail. Used for intercity or long-distance travel.
• 3 - Bus. Used for short- and long-distance bus routes.
• 4 - Ferry. Used for short- and long-distance boat service.
• 5 - Cable car. Used for street-level cable cars where the cable runs beneath the car.
• 6 - Gondola, Suspended cable car. Typically used for aerial cable cars where the car is suspended from the cable.
• 7 - Funicular. Any rail system designed for steep inclines.

See a Google Maps screenshot highlighting the route_type.

Optional. The route_url field contains the URL of a web page about that particular route. This should be different from the agency_url.

The value must be a fully qualified URL that includes http:// or https://, and any special characters in the URL must be correctly escaped. See http://www.w3.org/Addressing/URL/4_URI_Recommentations.html for a description of how to create fully qualified URL values.

Optional. In systems that have colors assigned to routes, the route_color field defines a color that corresponds to a route. The color must be provided as a six-character hexadecimal number, for example, 00FFFF. If no color is specified, the default route color is white (FFFFFF).

The color difference between route_color and route_text_color should provide sufficient contrast when viewed on a black and white screen. The W3C Techniques for Accessibility Evaluation And Repair Tools document offers a useful algorithm for evaluating color contrast. There are also helpful online tools for choosing contrasting colors, including the snook.ca Color Contrast Check application.

Optional. The route_text_color field can be used to specify a legible color to use for text drawn against a background of route_color. The color must be provided as a six-character hexadecimal number, for example, FFD700. If no color is specified, the default text color is black (000000).

The color difference between route_color and route_text_color should provide sufficient contrast when viewed on a black and white screen.

Required. The route_id field contains an ID that uniquely identifies a route. This value is referenced from the routes.txt file.

Required. The service_id contains an ID that uniquely identifies a set of dates when service is available for one or more routes. This value is referenced from the calendar.txt or calendar_dates.txt file.

Required. The trip_id field contains an ID that identifies a trip. The trip_id is dataset unique.

Optional. The trip_headsign field contains the text that appears on a sign that identifies the trip's destination to passengers. Use this field to distinguish between different patterns of service in the same route. If the headsign changes during a trip, you can override the trip_headsign by specifying values for the the stop_headsign field in stop_times.txt.

See a Google Maps screenshot highlighting the headsign.

Optional. The trip_short_name field contains the text that appears in schedules and sign boards to identify the trip to passengers, for example, to identify train numbers for commuter rail trips. If riders do not commonly rely on trip names, please leave this field blank.

A trip_short_name value, if provided, should uniquely identify a trip within a service day; it should not be used for destination names or limited/express designations.

Optional. The direction_id field contains a binary value that indicates the direction of travel for a trip. Use this field to distinguish between bi-directional trips with the same route_id. This field is not used in routing; it provides a way to separate trips by direction when publishing time tables. You can specify names for each direction with the trip_headsign field.

• 0 - travel in one direction (e.g. outbound travel)
• 1 - travel in the opposite direction (e.g. inbound travel)

For example, you could use the trip_headsign and direction_id fields together to assign a name to travel in each direction on trip "1234", the trips.txt file would contain these rows for use in time tables:

trip_id, ... ,trip_headsign,direction_id
1234, ... , to Airport,0
1234, ... , to Downtown,1

Optional. The block_id field identifies the block to which the trip belongs. A block consists of two or more sequential trips made using the same vehicle, where a passenger can transfer from one trip to the next just by staying in the vehicle. The block_id must be referenced by two or more trips in trips.txt.

Optional. The shape_id field contains an ID that defines a shape for the trip. This value is referenced from the shapes.txt file. The shapes.txt file allows you to define how a line should be drawn on the map to represent a trip.

Required. The trip_id field contains an ID that identifies a trip. This value is referenced from the trips.txt file.

Required. The arrival_time specifies the arrival time at a specific stop for a specific trip on a route. The time is measured from midnight at the beginning of the service date. For times occurring after midnight on the service date, enter the time as a value greater than 24:00:00 in HH:MM:SS local time for the day on which the trip schedule begins. If you don't have separate times for arrival and departure at a stop, enter the same value for arrival_time and departure_time.

You must specify arrival times for the first and last stops in a trip. If this stop isn't a time point, use an empty string value for the arrival_time and departure_time fields. Stops without arrival times will be scheduled based on the nearest preceding timed stop. To ensure accurate routing, please provide arrival and departure times for all stops that are time points. Do not interpolate stops.

Times must be eight digits in HH:MM:SS format (H:MM:SS is also accepted, if the hour begins with 0). Do not pad times with spaces. The following columns list stop times for a trip and the proper way to express those times in the arrival_time field:

Note: Trips that span multiple dates will have stop times greater than 24:00:00. For example, if a trip begins at 10:30:00 p.m. and ends at 2:15:00 a.m. on the following day, the stop times would be 22:30:00 and 26:15:00. Entering those stop times as 22:30:00 and 02:15:00 would not produce the desired results.

Required. The departure_time specifies the departure time from a specific stop for a specific trip on a route. The time is measured from midnight at the beginning of the service date. For times occurring after midnight on the service date, enter the time as a value greater than 24:00:00 in HH:MM:SS local time for the day on which the trip schedule begins. If you don't have separate times for arrival and departure at a stop, enter the same value for arrival_time and departure_time.

You must specify departure times for the first and last stops in a trip. If this stop isn't a time point, use an empty string value for the arrival_time and departure_time fields. Stops without arrival times will be scheduled based on the nearest preceding timed stop. To ensure accurate routing, please provide arrival and departure times for all stops that are time points. Do not interpolate stops.

Times must be eight digits in HH:MM:SS format (H:MM:SS is also accepted, if the hour begins with 0). Do not pad times with spaces. The following columns list stop times for a trip and the proper way to express those times in the departure_time field:

Note: Trips that span multiple dates will have stop times greater than 24:00:00. For example, if a trip begins at 10:30:00 p.m. and ends at 2:15:00 a.m. on the following day, the stop times would be 22:30:00 and 26:15:00. Entering those stop times as 22:30:00 and 02:15:00 would not produce the desired results.

Required. The stop_id field contains an ID that uniquely identifies a stop. Multiple routes may use the same stop. The stop_id is referenced from the stops.txt file. If location_type is used in stops.txt, all stops referenced in stop_times.txt must have location_type of 0.

Where possible, stop_id values should remain consistent between feed updates. In other words, stop A with stop_id 1 should have stop_id 1 in all subsequent data updates. If a stop is not a time point, enter blank values for arrival_time and departure_time.

Required. The stop_sequence field identifies the order of the stops for a particular trip. The values for stop_sequence must be non-negative integers, and they must increase along the trip.

For example, the first stop on the trip could have a stop_sequence of 1, the second stop on the trip could have a stop_sequence of 23, the third stop could have a stop_sequence of 40, and so on.

Optional. The stop_headsign field contains the text that appears on a sign that identifies the trip's destination to passengers. Use this field to override the default trip_headsign when the headsign changes between stops. If this headsign is associated with an entire trip, use trip_headsign instead.

See a Google Maps screenshot highlighting the headsign.

Optional. The pickup_type field indicates whether passengers are picked up at a stop as part of the normal schedule or whether a pickup at the stop is not available. This field also allows the transit agency to indicate that passengers must call the agency or notify the driver to arrange a pickup at a particular stop. Valid values for this field are:

• 0 - Regularly scheduled pickup
• 1 - No pickup available
• 2 - Must phone agency to arrange pickup
• 3 - Must coordinate with driver to arrange pickup

The default value for this field is 0.

Optional. The drop_off_type field indicates whether passengers are dropped off at a stop as part of the normal schedule or whether a drop off at the stop is not available. This field also allows the transit agency to indicate that passengers must call the agency or notify the driver to arrange a drop off at a particular stop. Valid values for this field are:

• 0 - Regularly scheduled drop off
• 1 - No drop off available
• 2 - Must phone agency to arrange drop off
• 3 - Must coordinate with driver to arrange drop off

The default value for this field is 0.

Optional. When used in the stop_times.txt file, the shape_dist_traveled field positions a stop as a distance from the first shape point. The shape_dist_traveled field represents a real distance traveled along the route in units such as feet or kilometers. For example, if a bus travels a distance of 5.25 kilometers from the start of the shape to the stop, the shape_dist_traveled for the stop ID would be entered as "5.25". This information allows the trip planner to determine how much of the shape to draw when showing part of a trip on the map. The values used for shape_dist_traveled must increase along with stop_sequence: they cannot be used to show reverse travel along a route.

The units used for shape_dist_traveled in the stop_times.txt file must match the units that are used for this field in the shapes.txt file.

Required. The service_id contains an ID that uniquely identifies a set of dates when service is available for one or more routes. This value is dataset unique. It is referenced by the trips.txt file.

Required. The monday field contains a binary value that indicates whether the service is valid for all Mondays.

• A value of 1 indicates that service is available for all Mondays in the date range. (The date range is specified using the start_date and end_date fields.)
• A value of 0 indicates that service is not available on Mondays in the date range.

Note: You may list exceptions for particular dates, such as holidays, in the calendar_dates.txt file.

Required. The tuesday field contains a binary value that indicates whether the service is valid for all Tuesdays.

• A value of 1 indicates that service is available for all Tuesdays in the date range. (The date range is specified using the start_date and end_date fields.)
• A value of 0 indicates that service is not available on Tuesdays in the date range.

Note: You may list exceptions for particular dates, such as holidays, in the calendar_dates.txt file.

Required. The wednesday field contains a binary value that indicates whether the service is valid for all Wednesdays.

• A value of 1 indicates that service is available for all Wednesdays in the date range. (The date range is specified using the start_date and end_date fields.)
• A value of 0 indicates that service is not available on Wednesdays in the date range.

Note: You may list exceptions for particular dates, such as holidays, in the calendar_dates.txt file.

Required. The thursday field contains a binary value that indicates whether the service is valid for all Thursdays.

• A value of 1 indicates that service is available for all Thursdays in the date range. (The date range is specified using the start_date and end_date fields.)
• A value of 0 indicates that service is not available on Thursdays in the date range.

Note: You may list exceptions for particular dates, such as holidays, in the calendar_dates.txt file.

Required. The friday field contains a binary value that indicates whether the service is valid for all Fridays.

• A value of 1 indicates that service is available for all Fridays in the date range. (The date range is specified using the start_date and end_date fields.)
• A value of 0 indicates that service is not available on Fridays in the date range.

Note: You may list exceptions for particular dates, such as holidays, in the calendar_dates.txt file

Required. The saturday field contains a binary value that indicates whether the service is valid for all Saturdays.

• A value of 1 indicates that service is available for all Saturdays in the date range. (The date range is specified using the start_date and end_date fields.)
• A value of 0 indicates that service is not available on Saturdays in the date range.

Note: You may list exceptions for particular dates, such as holidays, in the calendar_dates.txt file.

Required. The sunday field contains a binary value that indicates whether the service is valid for all Sundays.

• A value of 1 indicates that service is available for all Sundays in the date range. (The date range is specified using the start_date and end_date fields.)
• A value of 0 indicates that service is not available on Sundays in the date range.

Note: You may list exceptions for particular dates, such as holidays, in the calendar_dates.txt file.

Required. The start_date field contains the start date for the service.

The start_date field's value should be in YYYYMMDD format.

Required. The end_date field contains the end date for the service. This date is included in the service interval.

The end_date field's value should be in YYYYMMDD format.

Required. The service_id contains an ID that uniquely identifies a set of dates when a service exception is available for one or more routes. If the same service_id value appears in both files, the information in calendar_dates.txt modifies the service information specified in calendar.txt. This field is referenced by the trips.txt file.

Required. The date field specifies a particular date when service availability is different than the norm. You can use the exception_type field to indicate whether service is available on the specified date.

The date field's value should be in YYYYMMDD format.

Required. The exception_type indicates whether service is available on the date specified in the date field.

• A value of 1 indicates that service has been added for the specified date.
• A value of 2 indicates that service has been removed for the specified date.

For example, suppose a route has one set of trips available on holidays and another set of trips available on all other days. You could have one service_id that corresponds to the regular service schedule and another service_id that corresponds to the holiday schedule. For a particular holiday, you would use the calendar_dates file to add the holiday to the holiday service_id and to remove the holiday from the regular service_id schedule.

Required. The fare_id field contains an ID that uniquely identifies a fare class. The fare_id is dataset unique.

Required. The price field contains the fare price, in the unit specified by currency_type.

Required. The currency_type field defines the currency used to pay the fare. Please use the ISO 4217 alphabetical currency codes which can be found at the following URL: http://www.iso.org/iso/en/prods-services/popstds/currencycodeslist.html.

Required. The payment_method field indicates when the fare must be paid. Valid values for this field are:

• 0 - Fare is paid on board.
• 1 - Fare must be paid before boarding.

Required. The transfers field specifies the number of transfers permitted on this fare. Valid values for this field are:

• 0 - No transfers permitted on this fare.
• 1 - Passenger may transfer once.
• 2 - Passenger may transfer twice.
• (empty) - If this field is empty, unlimited transfers are permitted.

Optional. The transfer_duration field specifies the length of time in seconds before a transfer expires.

When used with a transfers value of 0, the transfer_duration field indicates how long a ticket is valid for a fare where no transfers are allowed. Unless you intend to use this field to indicate ticket validity, transfer_duration should be omitted or empty when transfers is set to 0.

Required. The fare_id field contains an ID that uniquely identifies a fare class. This value is referenced from the fare_attributes.txt file.

Optional. The route_id field associates the fare ID with a route. Route IDs are referenced from the routes.txt file. If you have several routes with the same fare attributes, create a row in fare_rules.txt for each route.

For example, if fare class "b" is valid on route "TSW" and "TSE", the fare_rules.txt file would contain these rows for the fare class:

b,TSW
b,TSE

Optional. The origin_id field associates the fare ID with an origin zone ID. Zone IDs are referenced from the stops.txt file. If you have several origin IDs with the same fare attributes, create a row in fare_rules.txt for each origin ID.

For example, if fare class "b" is valid for all travel originating from either zone "2" or zone "8", the fare_rules.txt file would contain these rows for the fare class:

b, , 2
b, , 8

Optional. The destination_id field associates the fare ID with a destination zone ID. Zone IDs are referenced from the stops.txt file. If you have several destination IDs with the same fare attributes, create a row in fare_rules.txt for each destination ID.

For example, you could use the origin_ID and destination_ID fields together to specify that fare class "b" is valid for travel between zones 3 and 4, and for travel between zones 3 and 5, the fare_rules.txt file would contain these rows for the fare class:

b, , 3,4
b, , 3,5

Optional. The contains_id field associates the fare ID with a zone ID, referenced from the stops.txt file. The fare ID is then associated with itineraries that pass through every contains_id zone.

For example, if fare class "c" is associated with all travel on the GRT route that passes through zones 5, 6, and 7 the fare_rules.txt would contain these rows:

c,GRT,,,5
c,GRT,,,6
c,GRT,,,7

Because all contains_id zones must be matched for the fare to apply, an itinerary that passes through zones 5 and 6 but not zone 7 would not have fare class "c". For more detail, see FareExamples in the GoogleTransitDataFeed project wiki.

Required. The shape_id field contains an ID that uniquely identifies a shape.

Required. The shape_pt_lat field associates a shape point's latitude with a shape ID. The field value must be a valid WGS 84 latitude. Each row in shapes.txt represents a shape point in your shape definition.

For example, if the shape "A_shp" has three points in its definition, the shapes.txt file might contain these rows to define the shape:

A_shp,37.61956,-122.48161,0
A_shp,37.64430,-122.41070,6
A_shp,37.65863,-122.30839,11

Required. The shape_pt_lon field associates a shape point's longitude with a shape ID. The field value must be a valid WGS 84 longitude value from -180 to 180. Each row in shapes.txt represents a shape point in your shape definition.

For example, if the shape "A_shp" has three points in its definition, the shapes.txt file might contain these rows to define the shape:

A_shp,37.61956,-122.48161,0
A_shp,37.64430,-122.41070,6
A_shp,37.65863,-122.30839,11

Required. The shape_pt_sequence field associates the latitude and longitude of a shape point with its sequence order along the shape. The values for shape_pt_sequence must be non-negative integers, and they must increase along the trip.

For example, if the shape "A_shp" has three points in its definition, the shapes.txt file might contain these rows to define the shape:

A_shp,37.61956,-122.48161,0
A_shp,37.64430,-122.41070,6
A_shp,37.65863,-122.30839,11

Optional. When used in the shapes.txt file, the shape_dist_traveled field positions a shape point as a distance traveled along a shape from the first shape point. The shape_dist_traveled field represents a real distance traveled along the route in units such as feet or kilometers. This information allows the trip planner to determine how much of the shape to draw when showing part of a trip on the map. The values used for shape_dist_traveled must increase along with shape_pt_sequence: they cannot be used to show reverse travel along a route.

The units used for shape_dist_traveled in the shapes.txt file must match the units that are used for this field in the stop_times.txt file.

For example, if a bus travels along the three points defined above for A_shp, the additional shape_dist_traveled values (shown here in kilometers) would look like this:

A_shp,37.61956,-122.48161,0,0
A_shp,37.64430,-122.41070,6,6.8310
A_shp,37.65863,-122.30839,11,15.8765

Required. The trip_id contains an ID that identifies a trip on which the specified frequency of service applies. Trip IDs are referenced from the trips.txt file.

Required. The start_time field specifies the time at which service begins with the specified frequency. For times occurring after midnight, enter the time as a value greater than 24:00:00 in HH:MM:SS local time for the day on which the trip schedule begins. E.g. 25:35:00.

Required. The end_time field indicates the time at which service changes to a different frequency (or ceases) at the first stop in the trip. For times occurring after midnight, enter the time as a value greater than 24:00:00 in HH:MM:SS local time for the day on which the trip schedule begins. E.g. 25:35:00.

Required. The headway_secs field indicates the time between departures from the same stop (headway) for this trip type, during the time interval specified by start_time and end_time. The headway value must be entered in seconds.

Periods in which headways are defined (the rows in frequencies.txt) shouldn't overlap for the same trip, since it's hard to determine what should be inferred from two overlapping headways. However, a headway period may begin at the exact same time that another one ends, for instance:

A, 05:00:00, 07:00:00, 600
B, 07:00:00, 12:00:00, 1200

Required. The from_stop_id field contains a stop ID that identifies a stop or station where a connection between routes begins. Stop IDs are referenced from the stops.txt file. If the stop ID refers to a station that contains multiple stops, this transfer rule applies to all stops in that station.

Required. The to_stop_id field contains a stop ID that identifies a stop or station where a connection between routes ends. Stop IDs are referenced from the stops.txt file. If the stop ID refers to a station that contains multiple stops, this transfer rule applies to all stops in that station.

Required. The transfer_type field specifies the type of connection for the specified (from_stop_id, to_stop_id) pair. Valid values for this field are:

• 0 or (empty) - This is a recommended transfer point between two routes.
• 1 - This is a timed transfer point between two routes. The departing vehicle is expected to wait for the arriving one, with sufficient time for a passenger to transfer between routes
• 2 - This transfer requires a minimum amount of time between arrival and departure to ensure a connection. The time required to transfer is specified by min_transfer_time.
• 3 - Transfers are not possible between routes at this location.

Optional. When a connection between routes requires an amount of time between arrival and departure (transfer_type=2), the min_transfer_time field defines the amount of time that must be available in an itinerary to permit a transfer between routes at these stops. The min_transfer_time must be sufficient to permit a typical rider to move between the two stops, including buffer time to allow for schedule variance on each route.

The min_transfer_time value must be entered in seconds, and must be a non-negative integer.