missing_timepoint_value: timepoint left empty Warning
A row of stop_times.txt leaves the timepoint field empty. Why to set 0 or 1 explicitly, and how to tell exact times from approximate ones in a feed.
What this rule means
The timepoint field of stop_times.txt says whether a call's time is held exactly (1) or only approximate (0). It is optional, but the GTFS reference recommends filling it on every row that carries times. When a row leaves it empty, the validator raises this notice. Severity: warning.
Without a value, the reference treats times as exact.
Why it matters
A warning does not block a delivery in GTFS Express. The risk is announcing as guaranteed a time that is not. Many networks only hold the timetable at a few timing points and estimate the calls in between. If timepoint is empty everywhere, an app cannot tell the difference and presents every minute as a promise; a rider who reaches an intermediate stop on the dot may find the bus already gone.
Common causes
- The export tool does not write the column, or writes it empty.
- Intermediate times were interpolated without marking them as approximate.
- The column was filled for a few trips only.
How to fix it
Fill timepoint on every row of stop_times.txt: 1 at the stops where the time is held (often the termini and the timing points), 0 elsewhere. A row with neither arrival_time nor departure_time should carry 0: 1 without times is an error, described by the rule stop_time_timepoint_without_times.
In GTFS Express, the validation report lists the rows involved and "Fix one by one" opens each in the editor with the field flagged. When the rule covers a whole bus line, it is quicker to fill the column for all its trips in the draft; each change is a retouch, then "Re-validate" runs the check again.
Example
trip_id,arrival_time,departure_time,stop_id,stop_sequence,timepoint
T3,07:30:00,07:30:00,STATION,1,
T3,07:34:00,07:34:00,SCHOOL,2,
T3,07:41:00,07:41:00,HOSPITAL,3,Corrected, the time being held only at both ends:
trip_id,arrival_time,departure_time,stop_id,stop_sequence,timepoint
T3,07:30:00,07:30:00,STATION,1,1
T3,07:34:00,07:34:00,SCHOOL,2,0
T3,07:41:00,07:41:00,HOSPITAL,3,1See also the list of rules.