diff --git a/alex/applications/PublicTransportInfoCS/data/ontology.py b/alex/applications/PublicTransportInfoCS/data/ontology.py
index fb837305..9926e076 100644
--- a/alex/applications/PublicTransportInfoCS/data/ontology.py
+++ b/alex/applications/PublicTransportInfoCS/data/ontology.py
@@ -116,6 +116,10 @@
             'system_informs',
             'user_informs',
         ],
+        'route_alternative': [
+            # this is necessary to be defined as it is a state variable used by the policy and automatically added to
+            # the dialogue state
+        ],
 
         # not implemented yet
         'transfer_stops': [
diff --git a/alex/applications/PublicTransportInfoCS/hdc_policy.py b/alex/applications/PublicTransportInfoCS/hdc_policy.py
index 91a5cbbd..411a734d 100644
--- a/alex/applications/PublicTransportInfoCS/hdc_policy.py
+++ b/alex/applications/PublicTransportInfoCS/hdc_policy.py
@@ -419,12 +419,10 @@ def get_directions(self, dialogue_state, route_type='true'):
             departure_time = now
             if departure_time_rel not in ['none', 'now']:
                 trel_parse = datetime.strptime(departure_time_rel, "%H:%M")
-                departure_time += timedelta(hours=trel_parse.hour,
-                                  minutes=trel_parse.minute)
+                departure_time += timedelta(hours=trel_parse.hour, minutes=trel_parse.minute)
         # absolute time
         else:
-            time_parsed = datetime.combine(now,
-                    datetime.strptime(departure_time, "%H:%M").time())
+            time_parsed = datetime.combine(now, datetime.strptime(departure_time, "%H:%M").time())
             time_hour = time_parsed.hour
             now_hour = now.hour
             # handle 12hr time