Expired GTFS

Feeds are meant to define service for a particular period of time. If there are no anticipated changes to a feed, it should contain service at least 2 months in advance for future trip planning and ideally as much as a year out. If a schedule change is anticipated at a specific time, it is good to end the feed at that time.

Feed End Date

Feeds contain a file called 'feed_info.txt' that contains an end date. This is used by some applications, such as the Transit App, to determine when a feed expires (even if there are valid service periods in calendars.) When requesting an export of your feed, you are asked to provide this date. Some considerations:

1. Select an end date that reflects the end of a known service period, at which point a new service period will be available.
2. Select an end date that matches the last date of service in your calendars.
3. Select an end date to act as a 'reminder' of the need to review/update the GTFS. This is how Trillium staff keep track of which feeds need review/updates. In cases where a service is suspended, and not know when it will come back online, it may be helpful to set the expiration out for 60 days to remind your team of the need to revisit your feed in case the service comes back online.