| date_published | 2026-07-03 |
|---|---|
| date_modified | 2026-07-03 |
Code: unknown_file (MobilityData validator)
The zip contains a file whose name is not part of the GTFS spec. Apps ignore files they do not recognise, so an unknown file does no harm on its own. The validator surfaces it because an unknown file is sometimes a misspelled required one, and that case does cause harm.
Two things hide behind an unknown file. The harmless kind is an extra the export
includes (a readme, a vendor file) that no app reads. The harmful kind is a typo
in a standard file name, like stop_time.txt instead of stop_times.txt: the
real file is then missing and every app treats those trips as having no
schedule, while your data sits in the zip unread.
Look at the flagged file name:
- A misspelled GTFS file: rename it to the correct spelling so apps read it again. Compare against the standard file list; the typo is usually one or two characters off.
- A genuine extra: it is safe to leave, but removing it keeps the feed clean. Many export tools have a setting to include only standard GTFS files.
A quick look at the file name. Renaming is instant; deciding a file is a harmless extra takes only a glance.