GTFS feed integration

  • Transit agencies can leverage GTFS feeds to display an open loop banner in Google Maps, indicating routes that support open loop payments, by ensuring their feed accurately represents these routes and stops.

  • GTFS feeds can be used to integrate Google Maps into transit receipts for both stationary and mobile terminals, providing users with visual location information.

  • For stationary terminals, linking station stops with user taps requires providing the relationship between the Merchant Name tag and the corresponding GTFS feed, along with completing an onboarding form.

  • Mobile terminals can either dynamically update the Merchant Name or link taps to a GTFS route feed, displaying the route to the user, and also require completion of the onboarding form.

You can use GTFS to display the open loop banner in Maps, and to show Maps in transit receipts.

Display the open loop banner in Maps

Google Wallet and Google Maps use GTFS feeds to identify which routes are shown in Google Maps. To implement this feature, transit agencies must do the following:

  • The transit agency must publish a GTFS feed with the following fields at a minimum:
    • Agency
    • Stops
    • Routes
  • The feed must be an accurate representation of the routes and stops that support open loop.
    • The GTFS feed doesn't include stations, stops, or routes that aren't supported. This is done to ensure that the banner isn't shown to users on an unsupported route.
    • Partial rollouts aren't currently supported. Agencies must either complete the rollout for the complete GTFS feed or create a new GTFS feed.

Show Maps in transit receipts

You can use GTFS to show Maps in transit receipts for stationary and mobile terminals.

Stationary terminals

To display Google Maps in Google Wallet, provide Google links to link the station stops with users' taps on a terminal. To do this, provide the relationship between information in the Merchant Name tag and the appropriate GTFS feed, as shown in the following example:

STOPS.txt: field(stop_id)

You must also complete the open loop transit form.

Mobile terminals

For mobile terminals, such as those on a bus, you can either dynamically update the Merchant Name on the terminal tag (9F4E), or provide a relationship between the taps on a terminal and a GTFS route feed. In the latter case, the user is only shown the route, not the stop. See the following example:

ROUTES.txt field(route_id)

You must also complete the open loop transit form.