Fix: stop times without a timepoint value

Code: missing_timepoint_value (MobilityData validator)

What this means

stop_times.txt has a timepoint column, but some rows leave it blank. The

column says whether each arrival time is a real, scheduled checkpoint

(timepoint=1) or an interpolated estimate (timepoint=0). Blank rows leave

consumers guessing which kind each time is.

Why it matters

Trip planners and realtime systems treat checkpoint times differently from

estimates: a checkpoint anchors predictions, an estimate can flex. When the

field is blank, an app has to assume, and its assumption may present your

estimated times as promises. Riders then hold the schedule to a precision it

never claimed.

How to fix it

• In your export settings, look for an option that writes timepoint flags,

often tied to which stops your schedulers mark as time checks. If your tool

wrote the column at all, it usually can fill it.

• If every published time is a real scheduled time, setting timepoint=1

on all rows is honest and clears the warning.

• If only some stops are time checks, mark those 1 and the rest 0; the

scheduling data usually already knows which is which.

How long it usually takes

Usually one export setting. If the column has to be filled from scratch, a

bulk edit keyed on your time-check stops does it in an afternoon.

Authoritative rule

missing_timepoint_value is a canonical MobilityData GTFS Validator notice, the same rule behind the statewide GTFS quality reports. Read the authoritative rule for missing_timepoint_value in the GTFS Validator rules. (opens on an external site)