Updated Bus Route shapefile

[Roth, Gary]

The Bus Route shapefile on the MTA.info Developer Resources website have been updated.

It can be downloaded from the page http://mta.info/developers/download.html or

directly from http://mta.info/developers/data/nyct/bus/BUS_ROUTE_SHAPEFILES.zip

 

We are uncertain on how much interest there is for the bus shapefile, so if you find it useful please email me directly at gary...@nyct.com

Based on your responses and the server logs, the MTA may decide to remove this file from the site if there is minimal usage.

 

Thank You,

 

-Gary

 

Gary Roth 

New Fare Payment Systems

MTA New York City Transit

2 Broadway, 27^th Fl

gary...@nyct.com

646.252.1145

 

[Steven Romalewski]

Thanks Gary.  Based on the attributes in the file, it appears the shapefiles were created from the GTFS data.  Do these files provide anything different from what's in the GTFS data (either regarding the geometry or the attributes)?

We definitely use the bus routes and bus stops, though I've built the shapefiles myself based on the GTFS data.  In addition to various printed maps, we use the bus routes at the OASIS website (for example http://bit.ly/N861B7 , though this version is from 2010).

Thanks,

Steve Romalewski

Director, CUNY Mapping Service

[Roth, Gary]

Steve,

 

These files are generated directly from the GTFS data and do not provide anything different than from what is in the GTFS data. This is one of the reasons we are questioning the effort for us to actually make the file and uploaded every time the GTFS data are updated if we already provide the raw data to generate the files. The process is automated, so it really is minimal effort.

The bus routes at the OASIS website are probably based on the file that we used to have on the website.

 

Is there anything specific you would want added to these shapefiles?   If so, we will see if we can improve these shapefiles.

 

Thanks,

 

-Gary

[Steven Romalewski]

Hi Gary, thanks for following up.

I'm intrigued by your comment that you have an automated process that involves minimal effort to convert GTFS to shapefiles.  Any chance you could share that with the list?  As you may know, I posted a couple of items at my blog describing the multiple steps I needed to go through to do this conversion (see http://spatialityblog.com/2010/07/08/mta-gis-data-update/ and http://spatialityblog.com/2010/07/20/more-mta-data-in-gis-format/). 

After I posted the data in GIS format, others found it useful.  Here are some examples of how people are using the subway and bus GTFS data I converted: http://spatialityblog.com/2012/05/04/putting-transit-gis-data-to-use/

Perhaps your process was developed recently?  When the GTFS files were first posted online, it didn't seem like MTA had this data in GIS format and probably wasn't going to convert it, which is why I did the work to convert them in the first place.

I can appreciate the MTA not wanting to go through the effort of converting the data each time the GTFS files are updated.  But it'd be great if we all had your methodology for doing the conversion so we could do it ourselves as needed.  (That's partly why I wrote my blog posts: so others could use my methodology -- as well as the data -- if they wanted to replicate my work.)

Has MTA also converted the subway routes to GIS format?

Thanks!

Steve

[Roth, Gary]

Steve,

 

The developer was out of town a couple of days, but here is his response.

 

“This process was developed very recently and should not be considered a final product as it has not been fully tested, but we would appreciate input into it. It was developed using ArcGIS 10.0 Model Builder. Attached is the output toolbox (ArcGIS v10.0) as well as the python script exported from Model Builder. The Shapes.txt and Trips.txt files are used as inputs and the user has to select an output feature class for the route files. We are still working on incorporating the stops into the automated process, and potentially additional data such as the span and average peak headways.

 

I am not sure about the conversion of the subway files. Although untested, the script should potentially work with the subway files as well. I am not sure about the plans for any work on the subway files.”

 

I’m not sure if the files can be posted to the GoogleGroup.  If not, reply and I will send them to you directly.

 

-Gary

[Steven Romalewski]

Thanks Gary.  I was able to download the files.  I'll take a look and let you know if I have any questions or feedback.

 

Steve

[展謀 (Jan-Mou) 李 (LI)]

Gary,

Is the direct link in your post on July 26, 2012 still up-to-date?  Would you please to provide an updated link if it is not?  Thank you.

Jan-Mou

On Thursday, July 26, 2012 2:14:40 PM UTC-4, Gary Roth wrote:

[jo...@geneseo.edu]

Hi Gary,

I am working on a project mapping neighborhood change in Red Hook Brooklyn for a directed study, and the shapefile discussed in this group would be of much use to me. Is there any way I can still acquire this data? Is there somewhere else I might be able to look for a layer with bus routes? 

Thanks,

-James Wade

[Gary Roth]

James,

Here is what I was able to find out.

First of all, it seems to be pretty straightforward to create shapefiles starting with GTFS files.
This thread mentions some options, and here is the one that was used here at MTA NYCT: http://hilo.hawaii.edu/~sdalhelp/docs/ht_txt-shp.pdf

In June 2015, shapefiles were created for internal use, which I have requested to be posted to the Developers Resources page.

I am working to have them re-posted on our website,

-Gary

[Mudit Uppal]

I'm looking for the shapefile too!! Please do update us, if anyone comes across it. 

Thanks

On Thursday, 3 March 2016 10:24:08 UTC-5, Gary Roth wrote:

James,

Here is what I was able to find out.

First of all, it seems to be pretty straightforward to create shapefiles starting with GTFS files.
This thread mentions some options, and here is the one that was used here at MTA NYCT: http://hilo.hawaii.edu/~sdalhelp/docs/ht_txt-shp.pdf

In June 2015, shapefiles were created for internal use, which I have requested to be posted to the Developers Resources page.

...

[Gary Roth]

Mudit,

The shapefiles are now available on the MTA Website on the Data Downloads page under the heading, "Bus GIS Shapefiles"

-Gary

[Steven Romalewski]

Gary, at first glance these files look terrific, thank you for putting them together.  Nice to have all the bus-related routes/shapes and stops in one place.

Steve

[Seth Budick]

Gary,

Thanks for posting these.  Can you clarify the difference between the "NYCT Bus Routes" and "MTA_Bus" shapefiles that are both contained in that zipped file?

Thanks!

Seth

[Gary Roth]

Seth,

Generally, NYCT Buses are the local bus routes and MTA Bus are commuter bus routes.

Wikipedia has it basically correct:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTA_Regional_Bus_Operations

• MTA New York City Bus – most routes within the City of New York, operated by the New York City Transit Authority (NYCT) and subsidiary Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority.

• MTA Bus – service previously administered by the New York City Department of Transportation and operated by seven companies at the time of takeover, concentrated in Queens, with some routes in the Bronx and Brooklyn, and most express service from Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx to Manhattan. The seven former companies were, Command Bus Company, Inc.; Green Bus Lines, Inc.; Jamaica Buses, Inc., Liberty Lines Express, Inc.; New York Bus Service, Inc.; Queens Surface Corp.; and Triboro Coach Corp.

-Gary

[Aaron Donovan]

And to build upon what Gary wrote, for express buses specifically, bus routes that begin with a letter X (generally these to go Staten Island), are operate by MTA New York City Transit. Express bus routes that begin with BM, BxM or QM are operated by the MTA Bus Company, and operate between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the Bronx and Manhattan, and Queens and Manhattan, respectively.

Aaron

[Seth Budick]

Gary & Aaron,

Thanks so much for the great explanations!

Seth

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[Jhonatan Santofimio]

This not work https://bustime.mta.info/api/siri/vehicle-monitoring.json?key=<api>&LineRef=MTA%20NYBC_BXM18