Talk:Bengaluru/Buses

Using GTFS for route mapping

Why don't we use GTFS data for Transport Route Mapping? Abhas (talk)

Ideally we would be using GTFS data, but as of now that may not be possible. The primary issue is that there is no official GTFS dataset provided by BMTC. There have been attempts at creating unofficial GTFS datasets (https://github.com/Vonter/bmtc-gtfs), by sourcing data from the Namma BMTC app. However, since the data is from Namma BMTC, the quality of the data isn't great to begin with (inaccurate timetables, missing routes, non-operational routes, unused stops listed, and so on). Despite these data quality concerns, it does work as a good starting point for adding bus routes. For example, I recently added the BMTC route 288 using the unofficial GTFS dataset as a reference (https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/17541973). Essentially, my opinion is that the GTFS can be used as a source for bus route mapping, but a human review step is needed before a particular route is added onto OpenStreetMap. Even for routes that are added to OpenStreetMap, ideally we would be able to do an on-ground validation step before signing off the final mapping of a route. Vonter (talk)