Question 1

What is GTFS and why is it important for Virginia transit?

Accepted Answer

GTFS stands for General Transit Feed Specification. It defines a common format for public transportation schedules and associated geographic, fare, and service calendar information. GTFS data is used by application developers, transportation planners, and researchers to present and analyze public transportation information. For Virginia, having standardized GTFS data means riders, developers, and planners across the Commonwealth can access consistent, machine-readable transit information from all participating agencies. This format allows transit information to appear in mapping applications, trip planners, and research tools without each agency needing to build its own data infrastructure. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) supports the creation and maintenance of GTFS for many transit agencies throughout the state, helping ensure data quality and availability. Without standardized GTFS data, each application developer would need to collect and reformat transit information from dozens of different sources in different formats, making comprehensive transit tools impractical. GTFS enables the transit data ecosystem that powers navigation apps and planning tools used by millions of riders daily.

Question 2

How do I download and use GTFS data from Virginia transit agencies?

Accepted Answer

GTFS data is distributed as ZIP files containing a set of text files (CSV format) that define stops, routes, trips, stop times, and calendar information. To download GTFS data, locate the transit agency you need in the table on this page. Each agency provides a direct URL where their GTFS feed is published. Download the ZIP file from that URL and extract the contained CSV files. The core GTFS files include agency.txt (agency information), stops.txt (stop locations and names), routes.txt (route definitions), trips.txt (individual trip records), stop_times.txt (arrival and departure times), and calendar.txt (service schedules by day of week). Developers can load these files into transit planning software, GTFS validation tools, or custom applications. Popular open-source tools like OpenTripPlanner, Transitland, and various Python libraries (gtfs-kit, partridge) can parse GTFS data for analysis and visualization. Before using the data commercially or in public-facing applications, review each agency's license terms, as some agencies require a license agreement.

Question 3

Which Virginia transit agencies currently provide GTFS feeds?

Accepted Answer

Virginia has one of the most comprehensive statewide GTFS programs in the country, with 40+ transit agencies providing standardized data feeds. The agencies span all regions of the Commonwealth, from the Northern Virginia/DC Metro area transit systems to rural providers in Southwest and Eastern Shore Virginia. Major agencies include Hampton Roads Transit (serving the Norfolk-Virginia Beach metro area), the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC serving the Richmond region), Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA serving Northern Virginia), Virginia Railway Express (VRE commuter rail), and dozens of regional and rural transit providers. The DRPT supports data creation and maintenance for many smaller agencies that may not have the technical resources to maintain GTFS independently. New agencies are added as GTFS capabilities expand across the Commonwealth, and existing feeds are updated regularly to reflect route changes, schedule updates, and service modifications.

Question 4

What is the difference between GTFS and GTFS-Realtime?

Accepted Answer

Standard GTFS (also called GTFS-Static) contains scheduled data — the planned routes, stops, trip times, fares, and calendar information that define how a transit system is supposed to operate. This is the core specification and the data available from this website. GTFS-Realtime (GTFS-RT) is a complementary specification that provides live updates about current operations, including vehicle positions (where buses and trains currently are), service alerts (delays, detours, disruptions), and trip updates (real-time arrival and departure predictions). GTFS-Realtime feeds are published as Protocol Buffer format (binary) and are updated continuously, typically every 15-30 seconds for vehicle positions. Not all Virginia transit agencies that provide GTFS-Static also provide GTFS-Realtime. To use GTFS-Realtime data, developers must query the live feed URL separately and parse Protocol Buffer data. Some agencies publish their GTFS-RT endpoints through DRPT or directly on their agency websites.

Question 5

How often is GTFS data updated and how do I know when feeds change?

Accepted Answer

GTFS data update frequency varies by transit agency and is typically tied to schedule changes. Most agencies update their GTFS data when service changes occur, which is often quarterly (aligned with schedule pick dates), seasonally, or whenever significant route restructuring happens. Some larger agencies with frequent service changes update their GTFS feeds more regularly. To monitor feed changes, developers can implement automated checks by downloading the feed on a regular basis and comparing checksums or modification dates. Some agencies publish service change notices on their websites or via email lists. The GTFS format includes validity periods in the calendar.txt and calendar_dates.txt files that indicate when specific service patterns are active, allowing applications to handle upcoming schedule changes gracefully. If you notice an error or outdated information in a Virginia agency's GTFS feed, you can submit a support request through the DRPT's contractor to alert the appropriate team about needed corrections.

Question 6

Can I build a commercial application using Virginia GTFS data?

Accepted Answer

The permissibility of commercial use depends on each individual agency's license terms. Many Virginia transit agencies make their GTFS data available under open data principles that allow both non-commercial and commercial use, provided that attribution requirements are met. However, some agencies require a formal license agreement before their data can be used in commercial applications. In all cases, the agencies retain full rights to their data and reserve the right to use their respective logos — third-party applications may not display agency logos without prior authorization. Additionally, third-party applications must be presented as such and should not be presented as being endorsed by or affiliated with Virginia DRPT or individual transit agencies unless other arrangements have been made. Review the license information on our License page and check each agency's individual terms before launching a commercial product.

#	Transit Service / Agency	Region	License
1	DASH - City of Alexandria	Northern Virginia	Subject to terms above
2	Altavista Community Transit System	Southside Virginia	Subject to terms above
3	Arlington Transit	Northern Virginia	Subject to terms above
4	Bay Transit	Eastern Shore	Subject to terms above
5	Blacksburg Transit	New River Valley	Subject to terms above
6	Blackstone Area Bus Service	Central Virginia	Subject to terms above
7	Bristol Virginia Transit	Southwest Virginia	Subject to terms above
8	Brite	New River Valley	Subject to terms above
9	Charlottesville Area Transit	Central Virginia	Subject to terms above
10	Fairfax City-University-Energysaver Bus (CUE)	Northern Virginia	Subject to terms above
11	Danville Mass Transit	Southside Virginia	Subject to terms above
12	Mountain Lynx Transit	Southwest Virginia	Subject to terms above
13	Fairfax Connector Bus System	Northern Virginia	Subject to terms above
14	Farmville Area Bus	Central Virginia	Subject to terms above
15	Four County Transit	Northern Neck	Subject to terms above
16	Fredericksburg Regional Transit (FRED)	Rappahannock Region	Subject to terms above
17	Greensville-Emporia Transit	Southside Virginia	Subject to terms above
18	Greater Lynchburg Transit Company (GLTC)	Central Virginia	Subject to terms above
19	Graham Transit	Southwest Virginia	Subject to terms above
20	Hampton Roads Transit	Hampton Roads	Subject to terms above
21	Harrisonburg Transit	Shenandoah Valley	Subject to terms above
22	JAUNT Inc	Piedmont Virginia	Subject to terms above
23	Loudoun County Transit	Northern Virginia	Subject to terms above
24	Petersburg Area Transit	Tri-Cities Region	Subject to terms above
25	Pony Express	Eastern Shore	Subject to terms above
26	Omniride (PRTC)	Northern Virginia	Subject to terms above
27	Pulaski Area Transit	New River Valley	License agreement
28	RADAR	Roanoke Region	Subject to terms above
29	Radford Transit	New River Valley	License agreement
30	Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC)	Capital Region	Subject to terms above
31	STAR Transit-VA	Central Virginia	Subject to terms above
32	Suffolk Transit	Hampton Roads	Subject to terms above
33	Valley Metro	Roanoke Region	Subject to terms above
34	Virginia Regional Transit	Western Virginia	Subject to terms above
35	Virginia Breeze	Statewide Intercity	Subject to terms above
36	Virginia Railway Express (VRE)	Northern Virginia / DC Metro	Subject to terms above
37	Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA)	Historic Triangle	Subject to terms above
38	WinTran	Shenandoah Valley	Subject to terms above
39	WMATA (Washington Metro)	Northern Virginia	Subject to terms above
40	Yorktown Transit	Historic Triangle	Subject to terms above

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