NaPTAN user guide
Updated 3 February 2023
© Crown copyright 2023
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected].
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-public-transport-access-node-schema/html-version-of-schema
About NaPTAN
The national public transport access nodes (NaPTAN) is a national dataset of all public transport ‘stops’ in England, Scotland and Wales.
This includes:
- bus stops and railway stations
- tram, metro and underground stops
- airports and ferry terminals
The NaPTAN dataset is updated when information is provided by staff based throughout local authorities around the UK.
Information may also be provided by staff using the National Public Transport Gazetteer (NPTG).
NPTG is a national dataset of places throughout cities, towns and villages in the UK.
Who can use NaPTAN data
NaPTAN data is used by bus operators, data managers and other local authority staff. The data is used to manage public transport-related software or services.
NaPTAN data can also be used for local and national transport apps and services.
It’s available to the public to download for free. Members of the public may download data, but not upload data.
You should have some familiarity with CSV or XML files to upload, download or edit stop data.
Downloading stop data
You do not need to register for an account to download the data. It’s available free, for public use.
You can download the complete NaPTAN dataset, or just data for your local area.
Download NaPTAN data through the website or the API.
Contact your local authority if you think changes need to be made to bus stops or other transport data.
For all other issues with this data, contact us at [email protected].
Uploading stop data
You can only upload data if you work for a local authority. Use the NaPTAN app to:
What you can upload
You can only upload files that are:
- in XML format
- unzipped
- less than 128MB
You can name your file using any naming convention.
Your data should include all the NaPTAN stops in your administrative area.
Upload to the service
Sign in to your account and use the following steps to upload to the service:
- Select the publish data tab.
- Select choose file and choose the relevant XML file on your computer.
- Select upload your file.
You should get confirmation on screen that your upload has been successfully validated.
The updated data will be available for public download within 15 minutes.
If your upload is not successful
You should get a notification on your screen if your upload has not successfully validated.
You will need to fix any errors in the file that are shown on screen and try uploading the file again.
If you need more help, contact [email protected].
Find out more about uploading
Read more about uploading data if you need more detail, for example, how to create files to upload including:
- stop point naming
- XML field definitions
- archiving NaPTAN stops
Editing locality data for NPTG
If you have a NaPTAN account, you can request changes to NPTG.
What data you can edit
You can add or edit any of the following data:
- area or position (otherwise known as locality)
- hierarchies
- alternate name links
Data you cannot edit
If you’d like to edit bus stop data, you must do this through NaPTAN uploads.
Further information
The NaPTAN data managers guide includes SMS prefixes and preferred indicator values for data managers.
Contact us if you need additional resources, such as schemas, background information on NaPTAN or NPTG.
Contact us
Report a problem or ask a question by emailing: [email protected].