IntroductionIn the spring of 1995, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) contracted with a team of consultants and researchers to implement an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). The purpose of this system was to create a showcase of technology for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and to leave MARTA with a legacy that would improve transit performance and increase ridership in the long term. The project put in place at MARTA three areas of technology: 1) Advanced Traveller Information Systems (ATIS) that provide an automated means of assisting MARTA patrons with travel information, 2) Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) for tracking bus positions in real time, and 3) an interface with Georgia Department of Transportation's Advanced Transportation Management System (AIMS) so that up-to-date traffic and road condition information could be made available to MARTA.At the core of the MARTA ITS is a series of spatial and attribute databases that provides critical information to all of the different ITS applications. One of the transit features that is described in these databases is the bus stop. Bus stop data are of particular importance to the MARTA ITS because they are used by so many different applications. The attribute data associated with each bus stop is as extensive as any other bus stop inventory that currently exists in the United States. The database contains more than 60 fields that provide detailed location information and the physical characteristics of the bus stop and the surrounding area.