Having tired with the frustration of using TfL's new "improved" journey
planner for bus arrivals I decided to develop my own application. This
has progressed to the stage of searching for bus stops by name. You have
to find your own solution as the API does not provide a direct way to do
it (or anyway I cannot find it). I have been looking for a bug because
my application often gives very different results to the same search
with the TfL journey planner but I now realise I am correct and the Tfl
web site is wrong.

For example, if you search for a stop called Abbey Road TfL will usually
return a pair of stops on route 31 although it sometimes suggests a
couple of other stops with Abbey Road included in the stop name. My
application returns a total of 7 stops called "Abbey Road" served by 10
more bus routes (57, 112, 131, 152, 187, 200, 219, 226, B11). Using the
journey planner to search for each of those routes reveals that every
one does indeed have a stop called Abbey Road for which it returns the
same bus arrivals as my application.

It seems as if the TfL programmer assumed every stop in London has a
unique name (as opposed to stop or Naptan code) and therefore returned
only the first hit from a search (31 is the smallest nuber in the list).
It seems inconceivable that the TfL developers have not tested this
aspect of the search engine but they should either fix it immediately or
withdraw it. Given the way many people must use the planner, especially
visitors to London, it is irresponsible to leave it as it is.

On 03/07/16 12:54, MikeS wrote:
Having tired with the frustration of using TfL's new "improved" journey
planner for bus arrivals I decided to develop my own application. This
has progressed to the stage of searching for bus stops by name. You have
to find your own solution as the API does not provide a direct way to do
it (or anyway I cannot find it). I have been looking for a bug because
my application often gives very different results to the same search
with the TfL journey planner but I now realise I am correct and the Tfl
web site is wrong.

For example, if you search for a stop called Abbey Road TfL will usually
return a pair of stops on route 31 although it sometimes suggests a
couple of other stops with Abbey Road included in the stop name. My
application returns a total of 7 stops called "Abbey Road" served by 10
more bus routes (57, 112, 131, 152, 187, 200, 219, 226, B11). Using the
journey planner to search for each of those routes reveals that every
one does indeed have a stop called Abbey Road for which it returns the
same bus arrivals as my application.

It seems as if the TfL programmer assumed every stop in London has a
unique name (as opposed to stop or Naptan code) and therefore returned
only the first hit from a search (31 is the smallest nuber in the list).
It seems inconceivable that the TfL developers have not tested this
aspect of the search engine but they should either fix it immediately or
withdraw it. Given the way many people must use the planner, especially
visitors to London, it is irresponsible to leave it as it is.
You are right. I had trouble getting the JP to find "The Broadway",
Stanmore. I had to pick it out from the map.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

Mike Roberts" wrote in message
...
On 03/07/16 12:54, MikeS wrote:
Having tired with the frustration of using TfL's new "improved" journey
planner for bus arrivals I decided to develop my own application. This
has progressed to the stage of searching for bus stops by name. You have
to find your own solution as the API does not provide a direct way to do
it (or anyway I cannot find it). I have been looking for a bug because
my application often gives very different results to the same search
with the TfL journey planner but I now realise I am correct and the Tfl
web site is wrong.

For example, if you search for a stop called Abbey Road TfL will usually
return a pair of stops on route 31 although it sometimes suggests a
couple of other stops with Abbey Road included in the stop name. My
application returns a total of 7 stops called "Abbey Road" served by 10
more bus routes (57, 112, 131, 152, 187, 200, 219, 226, B11). Using the
journey planner to search for each of those routes reveals that every
one does indeed have a stop called Abbey Road for which it returns the
same bus arrivals as my application.

It seems as if the TfL programmer assumed every stop in London has a
unique name (as opposed to stop or Naptan code) and therefore returned
only the first hit from a search (31 is the smallest nuber in the list).
It seems inconceivable that the TfL developers have not tested this
aspect of the search engine but they should either fix it immediately or
withdraw it. Given the way many people must use the planner, especially
visitors to London, it is irresponsible to leave it as it is.
You are right. I had trouble getting the JP to find "The Broadway",
Stanmore. I had to pick it out from the map.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus


Interesting. I just searched The Broadway in the JP and it did find Stanmore
(142) but not the ones in Epping (167) and Wood Green (184). Note that as I
mentioned earlier it only returned the stops for the lowest route number
(142 this time).

On Sun, 3 Jul 2016 12:54:27 +0100
MikeS wrote:
Having tired with the frustration of using TfL's new "improved" journey
planner for bus arrivals I decided to develop my own application. This

Just out of interest, what language did you use? When you say API do you
mean thet provide an actual libray API or is it just a list of HTTP GETs that
need to be made?

It seems as if the TfL programmer assumed every stop in London has a
unique name (as opposed to stop or Naptan code) and therefore returned
only the first hit from a search (31 is the smallest nuber in the list).
It seems inconceivable that the TfL developers have not tested this
aspect of the search engine but they should either fix it immediately or
withdraw it. Given the way many people must use the planner, especially
visitors to London, it is irresponsible to leave it as it is.

The programmer was probably some useless code monkey in bangalore working for a
company that made the cheapest bid because they hire the sort of idiots for
peanuts who couldn't get a job anywhere else.

--
Spud

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 3 Jul 2016 12:54:27 +0100
MikeS wrote:
Having tired with the frustration of using TfL's new "improved" journey
planner for bus arrivals I decided to develop my own application. This

Just out of interest, what language did you use? When you say API do you
mean thet provide an actual libray API or is it just a list of HTTP GETs
that
need to be made?

It seems as if the TfL programmer assumed every stop in London has a
unique name (as opposed to stop or Naptan code) and therefore returned
only the first hit from a search (31 is the smallest nuber in the list).
It seems inconceivable that the TfL developers have not tested this
aspect of the search engine but they should either fix it immediately or
withdraw it. Given the way many people must use the planner, especially
visitors to London, it is irresponsible to leave it as it is.

The programmer was probably some useless code monkey in bangalore working
for a
company that made the cheapest bid because they hire the sort of idiots
for
peanuts who couldn't get a job anywhere else.

--
Spud


Initially using Visual Basic on a PC - the easiest way to investigate their
API.
Look here to start with: https://api.tfl.gov.uk/

On Sun, 3 Jul 2016 23:10:16 +0100
"MikeS" wrote:
Just out of interest, what language did you use? When you say API do you
mean thet provide an actual libray API or is it just a list of HTTP GETs
that
need to be made?

Initially using Visual Basic on a PC - the easiest way to investigate their
API.
Look here to start with: https://api.tfl.gov.uk/

Cheers

--
Spud

In message of Sun, 3 Jul 2016 12:54:27 in uk.transport.london, MikeS writes
Having tired with the frustration of using TfL's new "improved" journey planner for bus arrivals I decided to develop my own application. This
has progressed to the stage of searching for bus stops by name. You have to find your own solution as the API does not provide a direct way to
do it (or anyway I cannot find it). I have been looking for a bug because my application often gives very different results to the same search
with the TfL journey planner but I now realise I am correct and the Tfl web site is wrong.

For example, if you search for a stop called Abbey Road TfL will usually return a pair of stops on route 31 although it sometimes suggests a
couple of other stops with Abbey Road included in the stop name. My application returns a total of 7 stops called "Abbey Road"

I scrape data from tfl.gov.uk/buses,
using http://www.londonbusroutes.net/routes.htm for the set of routes.
This is unreliable as TfL can't manage to produce reliable data.
e.g. 150 shows as running to Becontree Heath or Becontree Heath Bus Station.
It should show Chigwell Row or Becontree Heath.
The route to Becontree Heath shows from Becontree Heath Leisure Centre
to Gants Hill Station / Cranbrook Road.
The route to Becontree Heath Bus Station gives
"Sorry, that page cannot be found".
I first reported this to Tfl's Customer Service Centre on March 3.
The CSC deems a problem satisfied by reporting it to the web team.

Lately, 15 only reports stops between Tower Hall and Trafalgar Square,
rather than between Blackwall and Trafalgar Square.
(All 15 buses must use Routemasters

Somebody who sounds competent, has just taken up "my" faults.
I live in home.
One of the latest is that about 300 stops have no SMS (text) identity.

Anyway, to get back to Abbey Road. I have:
Link Stop Name JP Id Co-ordinates
Services
https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/490003027E/abbey-road Abbey Road stop X 1003027 51.539697, -0.187827
N28 Camden Town 31 Camden Town N31 Camden Town
https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/490003027W/abbey-road Abbey Road stop M 1003027 51.539976, -0.186677
N28 Wandsworth 31 White City N31 Clapham Junction
https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/490003028E/abbey-road Abbey Road stop H 1003028 51.529354, -0.269898
187 Finchley Road, 02 Centre 224 St Raphael's 224 Wembley Stadium 226 Ealing Broadway
https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/490003029W/abbey-road Abbey Road stop -W 1003029 51.53868, -0.279163
112 Ealing Broadway
..../490003030N/abbey-road-studios-grove-end-road Abbey Road Studios / Grove End Road stop R 1003030 51.532456, -0.177849
139 West Hampstead 189 Brent Cross
https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/490006877S/abbey-road Abbey Road stop W 1006898 51.489399, 0.124079
B11 Bexleyheath, Bus Garage
https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/490007938E/abbey-road Abbey Road stop SE 1007938 51.415987, -0.185749
57 Kingston 131 Kingston 152 New Malden, Fountain Roundabout 200 Raynes Park 219 Wimbledon 655 Raynes Park High School
https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/490007938F/abbey-road Abbey Road stop SH 1007938 51.416116, -0.185356
57 Clapham Park 131 Tooting Broadway 152 Pollards Hill 200 Mitcham 219 Clapham Junction 655 Mitcham

I make that 8 stops.
I ignore several Twyford Abbey Road stops.

The Journey Planner Identity is handy.
From=Abbey Road is ambiguous.
From=Abbey Road&Fromid=1003027 is unambiguous
The From value seems to be ignored if Fromid is specified.
--
Walter Briscoe