Potentially missing stops in bus static GTFS

[Nikhil Rajaram]

While checking out the RTPI sign locations dataset, I noticed many of the stops listed were absent in the static GTFS stops.txt files. I spot checked some of these stops on MTA Bus Time and Google Maps, where most appeared to be regularly serviced stops.

After scraping Bus Time, I determined there are currently 2850 stops on Bus Time not included in the static data (and 129 for which the converse is true). This set of Bus Time stops covers all but 3 stops listed in the RTPI set, which do not appear to be actual stops. 

It seems to me that these stops, if they are regularly serviced, should be in the static GTFS data. Is there any reason why they're not?

Best,

Nikhil

[Sunny]

The stops lists in BusTime are driven off the exact data source from which the public GTFS is derived.

Can you provide some examples of the stops present in BusTime but not GTFS and vice versa?

[Nikhil Rajaram]

Sure, I've attached a couple files: not_in_static.csv has the stops in BusTime but not in static GTFS and not_in_bustime.csv vice versa.

[Sunny]

Looking at a few of these stops:

The stops in not_in_bustime are stops with pick_up_type = 1 and drop_off_type = 1, i.e. timepoints, waypoints or other non-passenger stops where passengers cannot board or alight. Therefore they will not be in rider-facing BusTime.

The stops in not_in_static look to be MTA Bus Company stops - are you consuming all six GTFS files, and not only the five boroughs?

[Nikhil Rajaram]

Makes sense regarding non-passenger stops. And I wasn't consuming the Bus Company GTFS — thanks for pointing that out! Sorry for the trouble.