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07: Issues, challenges, and workarounds

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Mordy Ovits edited this page Jul 19, 2026 · 1 revision

Overview

While GTFS is a standard, many of the data elements are still subject to the whims of the transport provider. Below a list of my experiences and where to raise an issue regarding them.

Unpacking and importing the zip file never completes

When adding/updating a GTFS datasource, the zip file import process never completes, leaving GTFS2 unable to continue.

Things to try:

  1. Check logs, preferably via portainer as HA logs do not show the unpacking output.
  2. Check the config/gtfs2 folder and check if the .sqlite is (still) growing in size (should be Mb's). Some imports take 2-4hrs depending on size.

Known issues with import process

  1. The feed_into.txt in the transit provider's zip file is incomplete. to get around this, use the HA Action to get the data, checking the option remove feed_info.
  2. A corrupt zip file. Sometimes the zip does not (fully) extract. This is likely caused by the GTFS provider, and often resolves in time (if someone complains to the provider).
  3. zip/source is not complying (see logs output) to the pygtfs-library used for unpacking > report issue with your gtfs data provider

Static GTFS: route/stop setup by direction

Routes show A > B (outward) but stop selection shows reversed B > A :

  • some of the routes don't seem to work 'outbound' or 'inbound': providers are not always consistent on the direction of the route and sometimes not using this (why?), try other direction in the configuration.
  • In quite a few cases, the direction of the route is not in line with expectations. Try to swap start and end for the same route & direction. Report these issues to your GTFS data provider.
  • The endpoint has too many stop_id. Try to use an endpoint earlier/later on the route.

GTFS real-time

  • Only a few providers of GTFS real-time data provide vehicle positions with lat/lon
  • These are not always up to date. Report issues to your GTFS data provider.
  • Incorrect format of GTFS-RT feed. GTFS2 only accepts the protobuf and json formats. Report issues to your GTFS data provider, as they should adhere to standards.
  • The real-time source is inconsistent available. Sometimes a few refreshes are fine, then nothing, then fine again. This is often related to timeout from the GTFS data provider. Report issues to your GTFS data provider.

Other issues

If you did not find an answer to your issue, please raise an issue.

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