gtfs_to_spec_format: Convert tidygtfs object to GTFS-spec-compliant format

In mobdb: Access the 'Mobility Database' API to Discover Transit Feeds

Convert tidygtfs object to GTFS-spec-compliant format

Description

Converts a tidygtfs object (as returned by tidytransit::read_gtfs()) back to GTFS-spec-compliant string formats. This reverses tidytransit's automatic type conversions:

• Date columns (R Date objects) are converted back to YYYYMMDD strings (e.g., as.Date("2024-01-15") becomes "20240115")

• Time columns (hms/difftime objects) are converted back to HH:MM:SS strings, preserving values >= 24:00:00 for trips past midnight (e.g., hms::hms(hours = 25, minutes = 30) becomes "25:30:00")

Columns that are already in the correct format (character or integer) are left unchanged. Returns a modified copy; the original object is not modified.

Usage

gtfs_to_spec_format(gtfs)

Arguments

gtfs	A gtfs/tidygtfs object, typically from tidytransit::read_gtfs() or download_feed().

Value

A modified copy of the gtfs object with date and time columns converted to GTFS-spec-compliant strings.

Affected tables and columns

Date columns (YYYYMMDD):

• calendar: start_date, end_date

• calendar_dates: date

• feed_info: feed_start_date, feed_end_date

Time columns (HH:MM:SS):

• stop_times: arrival_time, departure_time

• frequencies: start_time, end_time

Examples

gtfs <- download_feed("mdb-247")

# Dates are R Date objects from tidytransit
class(gtfs$calendar$start_date)
# [1] "Date"

# Convert to GTFS-spec format
spec <- gtfs_to_spec_format(gtfs)
spec$calendar$start_date
# [1] "20240101"

spec$stop_times$arrival_time[1]
# [1] "08:30:00"

mobdb documentation built on Aug. 29, 2026, 1:07 a.m.