How do MTA Agencies gather and store locations of bus stops (for internal or traveler information use)?
Staff enter each bus stop change that will be in effect for more than six months into a computer database. In the New York City area bus stops are changed routinely to meet various operational requirements. NYC Transit issues schedules and prepares an electronic file containing bus schedules for every route and day of operation (weekday school open, weekday school closed, Saturday, Sunday). This file includes the bus schedule for each day and the bus stops in each direction. The bus stops are incorporated into an electronic file generated by the industry standard HASTUS scheduling package from GIRO in Montreal, Canada. Bus stop changes are geo-coded onto a computer map using HASTUS GEO. The geo-coding is a desk exercise that ensures each bus stop is placed on the correct portion of the block-face on each side of the street — nearside, midblock or farside. There is no regular field survey on the street with GPS equipment to ensure that the nearside stop is in fact 50-feet or 100-feet fr
