[Governance] A New Framework has been adopted - What's Next? - Discussion Thread

[eliasmbd]

Context

In July 2025, we adopted the new GTFS Schedule Governance Framework to bring more clarity, transparency, and structure to how GTFS evolves.

This framework reflects a pragmatic approach grounded in four key goals: stability, accessibility, predictability, and diversity.

What’s new?

Key process changes:

• Formal Issue stage
• New Pull Request template
• Added Review and Voting Periods
• Updated voting requirements
• Clearer change types and processes
• Defined roles and responsibilities

This is a starting point—we’re opening a 6-month revision period and inviting your feedback to help refine it. Our long-term goal is to build a strong foundation for future updates, including the possible unification of GTFS Schedule and Realtime governances.

Transition Period

• As of July 7, 2025, all new Pull Requests are subject to the new GTFS Schedule Governance Framework.
• Pull Requests opened before July 7, 2025 will continue to follow the Former Governance.
  • This includes the following PRs: Add addition best practice on hosting GTFS files #567, [GTFS Fares v2] Semantics clarification #561, [GTFS-Fares v2] Add Distance-Based Fares #556, Add communication_period and impact_period #546, Add cemv_support field in agency.txt and routes.txt #545, Introduce boarding permissions to specify the carriage of vehicles at per-stop granularity #533, Add stops.stop_access field #515, Stop Time Events in the past should be kept #502, [GTFS Fares v2] Add nonconsecutive_transfer_allowed field and clarify fare_transfer_type #498, [GTFS Fares v2] Area Set matching predicates. #483, [GTFS-Fares v2] Fare product/media transfer behavior #423.
  • These PRs have also been attributed the label of: Former Governance Applies
• Once all PRs opened prior to July 7, 2025 are resolved, the Former Governance will be fully deprecated.

Revision Period

• The new GTFS Schedule Governance Framework is undergoing a 6-month revision period, so that the community can help fine tune it.
• We ask the community to use the comment section below to submit noticed frictions or issues they noticed when using the governance. This will allow us to collect valuable feedback and work collectively on an improvement.
• At the end of this period, we will communicate next steps here and / or host a meeting to assess the current state by identifying areas of improvement and their potential solutions.

Ideas with considerable discussion and / or support

• Refinement of GTFS Terminology: Transitioning from "Schedule" to "Static" #442
• [Plan] GTFS Public Backlog #495
• Use Entity-Relationship Model as Definitive Reference #415
• [Discussion] GTFS Realtime Versioning #530
• Merging GTFS Schedule and GTFS Realtime Governances

Ideas to be discussed

• Revising the Guiding Principals
• Experimental phase for proposals based on adoption
• Flexibility in 1 Consumer and 1 Producers testing requirements and depreciation of “small” unused fields
• Formalizing Working Groups
• Versioning and backward compatibility
• MDIP Certification / badging for contributors
• Deprecating Google Groups Requirement

Please feel free to submit any ideas you feel could improve the governance of GTFS. We will be sure to add them to this list.

[etienne0101]

Hello everyone,

Yesterday, January 6th marked the six-month milestone since the adoption of our new governance framework.
While this was the original date set to begin our formal review, we have observed that no Pull Request has yet fully navigated the new governance process (excluding those covering documentation maintenance).

The furthest along is PR #578, which is currently at the first stage. To ensure we have sufficient data to draw meaningful conclusions about the framework’s efficiency, we are proposing to adjust the revision period. Specifically, we suggest opening the revision once either of the following conditions is met:

1. A total of 2 PRs have completed the full new process.
2. If the threshold isn't met sooner, we will reopen the conversation no later than April 30th, 2026.

As a reminder, only PRs opened after July 7th, 2025, follow the new governance. PRs opened before this date are being processed under the old framework and do not count toward this evaluation threshold.

We will continue this discussion and post future updates directly in this issue.

Thank you for your patience and continued contributions!

[etienne0101]

We are now starting the revision process, and the discussion is happening here