Ferry GTFS Software

Q: Do ferries need real-time (GTFS-Realtime) data?

It is optional, but ferries change more than most transport — weather, tides, wind and mechanical issues can delay or cancel a sailing. Real-time status lets you keep passengers and the apps informed automatically instead of fielding calls, so what shows on the map stays accurate.

Q: Can you build and submit the feed for me?

Yes. If you would rather send us your timetable and pier list, our Setup service will build, validate, publish and submit the feed for you at a fixed price agreed before we start. Most ferry feeds fall into the Basic or Standard tier.

A coloured line on the map isn't a timetable

Plenty of ferry routes already show up on maps as a line across the water — but a line has no sailing times, no arrivals or departures, and no idea that the summer timetable differs from the winter one. When a traveller planning a trip can't see when your ferry actually sails, they pick another option. A proper GTFS feed fixes that: it gives Google Maps and the transit apps your real schedule, so your sailings appear in journey results with times, and the planners send those travellers to your own site to book.

Built for the way ferries actually run

Ferries aren't a fixed suburban bus grid. AddTransit's GTFS editor lets you map routes across open water (the route shape, not just two dots), set piers and terminals as stops, and run seasonal, summer-only or reduced-winter timetables and one-off sailings that appear for the right dates. You build it in the browser — no geographic information system (GIS) software and no IT team.

Depth a bolted-on export can't match

Exporting a GTFS file is the easy part; having it actually work is the rest. AddTransit validates your feed against the GTFS spec so it passes rather than silently failing, submits it to Google Maps and other journey planners for you, keeps it hosted at a stable public URL, and offers real-time status so a weather-cancelled sailing doesn't leave a wrong departure sitting on the map. And because AddTransit also does online ticketing, the travellers who find your ferry on Google Maps can book and pay in the same place — the feed brings them in, ticketing converts them.

Keep passengers informed when the sea doesn't cooperate

Weather, tides, wind and mechanical issues change ferry sailings more than almost any other transport. Real-time status lets you post a delay or cancellation once and have it reach your passengers and the apps automatically, so your team can focus on managing the situation instead of answering the same phone call fifty times.

Simple pricing

You can build your whole feed in the editor for free. You only pay when you publish it live: $15 per route per month to host your feed and keep it on Google Maps, with no setup fee. If you also sell tickets through AddTransit, that's a flat 10% commission on completed bookings, with no setup or monthly fee. Real-time status and vehicle tracking are optional add-ons.

Short on time? We'll build it for you

Send us your timetable and pier list and our Setup service will build, validate, publish and submit your ferry feed for you at a fixed price agreed before we start — most ferry feeds are a Basic or Standard job.

Already run a ferry service? See our ferry operators overview for how GTFS, real-time status and online ticketing fit together.

Two ways to get on the map

Do it yourself — free to build. Map your routes, piers and sailing times in the GTFS editor at no cost. You only pay when you publish it live — $15 per route per month to host it and keep it on Google Maps.

Start your feed free

Done for you. Send your timetable and piers; we build, validate, publish and submit the feed, fixed price agreed before we start.

See setup packages

Can a ferry service appear on Google Maps?

Yes. Ferries are a first-class mode in GTFS, the feed format Google Maps and other journey planners read. Once your routes, piers, sailing times and seasonal variations are published as a valid GTFS feed, your ferry can show real departures and arrivals in Google Maps — not just a coloured line on the water — with links back to your own site.

What do I actually get with AddTransit for a ferry?

A place to build your ferry routes, piers and timetables (including the route shape across the water and seasonal sailings), automatic validation so the feed passes the GTFS spec, hosting at a public URL, and submission to Google Maps and other journey planners. Real-time status and online ticketing are available on the same platform if you want them.

Do ferries need real-time (GTFS-Realtime) data?

It's optional, but ferries change more than most transport — weather, tides, wind and mechanical issues can delay or cancel a sailing. Real-time status lets you keep passengers and the apps informed automatically instead of fielding calls, so what shows on the map stays accurate.

How much does it cost to get my ferry on Google Maps?

You can build your whole feed in the editor for free. You only pay when you publish it live: $15 per route per month to host your feed and keep it on Google Maps, with no setup fee. If you also sell tickets through AddTransit, that's a flat 10% commission on completed bookings, with no setup or monthly fee.

Can you build and submit the feed for me?

Yes. If you'd rather send us your timetable and pier list, our Setup service will build, validate, publish and submit the feed for you at a fixed price agreed before we start. Most ferry feeds fall into the Basic or Standard tier.

Do seasonal and summer-only ferry timetables work?

Yes. GTFS handles dated service periods, so summer-only routes, reduced winter timetables and one-off sailings can all be represented and will appear for the right dates in journey planners.

Your ferry feed