Key:local_ref

The local_ref=* key is used on public_transport=platform or public_transport=stop_position features to indicate the locally distinguishable number or letter of the stop, platform or other transport feature. This is in contrast with the ref=* key, which is used for the operator-wide or network-wide number or reference code, and in some cases can be the same for all stops of a larger station or "stop area".

Many instances of this tag were first imported from the NaPTAN database in Britain.

Some mappers opt to use the ref=* key for the stop letter/number instead – presumably due to limited support of the local_ref=* key in editor presets. The information about the unique stop code can then be stored in uic_ref=* or ref:<qualifier>=* (e.g. ref:De_Lijn=*) keys. However, this can be seen as a violation of the approved Public Transport feature proposal, since ref=* and ref:<qualifier>=* keys were meant to hold the same type of information, and ref:<qualifier>=* key was supposed to be needed only when different references are used by different operators or networks.

Examples

• 

  local_ref=3
  889215185 889215185

• 

  local_ref=B
  469782070 469782070

• 

  local_ref=SH
  469781558 469781558

• 

  local_ref=02
  9944581518 9944581518

Reference longer than one or two characters is usually an indicator that the reference is not a local reference, but a network-wide reference:

• 

  local_ref=17114
  ref=17114
  1701710285 1701710285

• 

  local_ref=76782
  ref=76782
  1764663967 1764663967

Sometimes a stop will have both local and network-wide reference:

• 

  local_ref=15
  + ref=H2409
  269159779 269159779

Rendering

Transport Map

This key is rendered on the Transport Map only for bus stops. Stop positions of trams and trains aren't rendered. The reason is unknown.

In addition, only local_ref values with 1 or 2 alphanumerical characters are rendered. Expressions like "S10" will not be rendered.

Example with many bus stops ("A" - "K"):

• https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/48.94515/2.56765&layers=T

ÖPNVKarte

This key is rendered on ÖPNVKarte for all public transport platforms.

Example with many bus stops:

• https://www.öpnvkarte.de/#2.56765;48.94515;17
  

Aerodromes

Over time, this tag has also come to be used for local, usually national, coding schemes for aerodromes. Examples are the codes assigned to French airfields, catalogued on www.basulm.ffplum.fr, and the national local codes assigned in Russia, as per

See also

• route_ref=* - route reference (number/code) cognizable on public transport stop signs.
• loc_ref=* - Local reference