diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 610b96b5..ca781b3a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+
+- `vehicles.vehicle_label` optional field for user-visible vehicle numbers displayed on exterior, distinguishing from internal `vehicle_id`. Aligns with GTFS-realtime VehicleDescriptor.label ([#240](https://github.com/TIDES-transit/TIDES/issues/240))
+
 ## [1.0] - 2025-12-23
 
 ### Changed
diff --git a/samples/template/TIDES/vehicles.csv b/samples/template/TIDES/vehicles.csv
index 69d4735b..9e6db713 100644
--- a/samples/template/TIDES/vehicles.csv
+++ b/samples/template/TIDES/vehicles.csv
@@ -1 +1 @@
-vehicle_id,vehicle_start,vehicle_end,model_name,facility_name,capacity_seated,capacity_wheelchair,capacity_bike,bike_rack,capacity_standing
+vehicle_id,vehicle_label,vehicle_start,vehicle_end,model_name,facility_name,capacity_seated,capacity_wheelchair,capacity_bike,bike_rack,capacity_standing
diff --git a/spec/vehicles.schema.json b/spec/vehicles.schema.json
index 2980b539..499c68f3 100644
--- a/spec/vehicles.schema.json
+++ b/spec/vehicles.schema.json
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@
         "unique": true
       }
     },
+    {
+      "name": "vehicle_label",
+      "type": "string",
+      "description": "User-visible label for the vehicle, such as the vehicle number displayed on the exterior. This may differ from vehicle_id, which is the internal identifier. Aligns with GTFS-realtime VehicleDescriptor.label."
+    },
     {
       "name": "vehicle_start",
       "type": "datetime",