Source Verification and Manual Checking Policy

Human-reviewed U.S. bus schedule guidance

Source Verification and Manual Checking Policy

This policy explains how we manually check important schedule, map, phone, address and route details before publication and during updates.

busschedule.us/ is designed for riders who need official-source guidance for routes, stops, maps, phone numbers, addresses, alerts, fares and practical trip planning steps in plain language.

Official-source firstHuman-editedManual checksInformation only

What we verify

Before a guide is published or updated, our team aims to compare important rider details with official or primary sources. These may include transit-agency route pages, official PDF timetables, GTFS feeds, agency maps, rider apps, service alerts, fare pages, customer-service pages, accessibility pages and local government transportation pages.

GTFS data can help describe routes, stops and planned schedules, but it is not a substitute for live alerts and agency announcements. A route may have accurate scheduled service in a static feed while a temporary detour, road closure or holiday service notice changes the rider experience that day.

Official links

We test whether source links open and whether they point to the correct agency, route, fare page, map or alert.

Numbers and addresses

We compare phone numbers, transit center addresses, office addresses and support contacts against official pages.

Maps and stops

We review official maps, stop names, stop IDs, transfer points and boarding locations where available.

Preferred source order

TopicHow we handle it
1. Transit agencyOfficial route pages, schedules, maps, alerts, GTFS references, fare pages and support pages.
2. Government transportation sourceCity, county, state DOT, airport authority, regional authority or public transportation office.
3. Official data portalAgency-hosted GTFS links, transportation data portals and published datasets.
4. Secondary referencesUsed only for context when official sources are unavailable, not as final support for critical rider details.

Manual checking workflow

  1. Open the official agency page and confirm the exact detail being referenced.
  2. Check for weekday, Saturday, Sunday, holiday, seasonal and special-event schedule differences.
  3. Review alerts, detours, stop closures and temporary notices.
  4. Verify phone numbers, customer-service hours, office addresses and map references.
  5. Write a plain-language explanation with a final-confirmation reminder.
  6. Review corrections and update the article when an official source confirms a change.
Important: manually checked does not mean permanently unchanged. Bus schedules can change after publication, so riders should verify same-day travel with official tools.

Editorial framework review date: August 3, 2026. Always confirm same-day travel with the official transit agency.