stop_times.txt

🔙 Return to: How Transit Integrates GTFS

On this page

• arrival_time and departure_time
• stop_headsign

arrival_time and departure_time

Unless there is scheduled dwell time at a stop, these two fields should contain the same time. If a bus does not adhere to a strict schedule, the  timepoint field can be used to denote this.

stop_headsign

This field should only be used if  trip_headsign cannot convey the direction or destination for the entire trip. The most common use case for stop_headsign is for loop routes. Since the destination is the same as the origin, trip_headsign should only include the direction, clockwise or counterclockwise. stop_headsign should refer to the next significant waypoint, and must be repeated for every stop_time. The first example is a good use of the field, cycling between three headsigns over a 39-stop loop.

This is a poor implementation of  stop_headsign; the stop names are simply listed. Seeing the name of the following stop is not useful information to the user.