Fix: a stop sits far from the route's drawn path

Published: 3 July 2026. Last reviewed: 14 July 2026.

Code: stop_too_far_from_shape_using_user_distance (MobilityData validator)

What this means

Your feed provides shape_dist_traveled values that tie stops to points along a route's shape in shapes.txt. For some trips a stop ends up far from the shape at the distance given, so the stop and the drawn route disagree about where the stop is.

Why it matters

Apps use the shape to draw the route line and to place stops along it. When a stop is far from the shape, the map shows the route detouring to a stop that isn't really there, or a stop floating off the line. Riders see a confusing map and worse walking directions to the stop.

How to fix it

The mismatch is between three things; check which is off for the flagged trips:

• The shape: if the route line does not actually pass the stop, fix or re-generate shapes.txt so it follows the real path.
• The stop location: if stop_lat / stop_lon is wrong, correct it.
• The shape_dist_traveled values: if the geometry is right but the distance measurements are off, regenerate them. Many tools compute shape_dist_traveled automatically; re-run validation afterward to check whether this finding remains.

See a stop far from the shape by raw geometric distance for the related case where the shape and the stop simply disagree in space, with no shape_dist_traveled measurement involved.

How long it usually takes

Often a regeneration step in your scheduling tool rather than hand-editing. If a specific stop or shape is wrong, it is a targeted fix on the flagged trips.

Authoritative rule

stop_too_far_from_shape_using_user_distance is a canonical MobilityData GTFS Validator notice used in validator reports across the GTFS ecosystem. Read the authoritative rule for stop_too_far_from_shape_using_user_distance in the GTFS Validator rules. (opens on an external site)