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Feed status · checked 2026-07-10
Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide)
Based on the feed this agency publishes
First scorecard for this agency
Ahead of 62% of all tracked agencies and 76% of large agencies.
A data-quality and completeness lens to help an agency improve its GTFS feed. Not an official compliance determination from any transit program. New to this? How to read your scorecard. Interactive view of this scorecard. Rubric v1.1, validator 8.0.1.
Top things to fix
Add fare_attributes.txt (or Fares v2 files) with your fare structure. If your service is fare-free, ask to have it marked fare-free instead.
The feed contains no fare information. Riders see 'fare unknown' in trip planners and can't budget their trip; visitors are most affected.
⏱ A small file for most flat-fare systems.worth about +15 points
Add feed_info.txt with feed_start_date and feed_end_date to your export.Likely your export tool
feed_info.txt is missing its start/end dates (the file itself is absent) Apps and this scorecard can't warn anyone before the feed goes stale without stated validity dates.
⏱ Two fields, set once in export settings.worth about +15 points
Review the rule documentation for 'missing_timepoint_value' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed.
Missing timepoint value (flagged by the MobilityData validator). See the linked rule for what this affects.
⏱ Varies.worth about +8 points
Close the loop on each fix. Read the guide, make the change in your tool, and let the next run verify it — the scorecard shows the fix; the agency publishes it.
Add fare_attributes.txt (or Fares v2 files) with your fare structure. If your service is fare-free, ask to have it marked fare-free instead. · Read the fix guide
Make the change. Make this change in whatever tool produces your feed, then re-export.
Prove it cleared. The next scorecard run re-checks this automatically and, once it is gone, mints a dated receipt. Self-check a feed before you publish.
Add feed_info.txt with feed_start_date and feed_end_date to your export. · Read the fix guide
Make the change. Make this change in whatever tool produces your feed, then re-export.
Prove it cleared. The next scorecard run re-checks this automatically and, once it is gone, mints a dated receipt. Self-check a feed before you publish.
Review the rule documentation for 'missing_timepoint_value' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed. · Read the fix guide
Make the change. Make this change in whatever tool produces your feed, then re-export.
Prove it cleared. The next scorecard run re-checks this automatically and, once it is gone, mints a dated receipt. Self-check a feed before you publish.
Send your vendor a fix request
You may not control the GTFS export yourself. Copy this and send it to whoever runs your scheduling software export. It names each fix with the validator notice and a guide link.
Score by category
The MobilityData validator flagged 6 kinds of issue across 219168 instances (0 error, 219167 warning, 1 informational).
Service data covers the next 43 days.
100% of stops state wheelchair accessibility (57% marked accessible, 43% marked not accessible). This measures what the feed publishes, not whether a stop is physically usable. Fare data is not published.
100% of stops state accessibility (57% marked accessible). Reflects what the feed states, not verified physical usability.
Not scored yet. Nothing here counts against the grade.
Over time
This is the first scorecard for this agency. A trend and a "what changed" summary appear here once it has been checked more than once.
Everything we checked
- Warning219107 instances
Missing timepoint value (flagged by the MobilityData validator).
See the linked rule for what this affects.
Fix: Review the rule documentation for 'missing_timepoint_value' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed. (Varies.)
Validator rule: missing_timepoint_value · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Warning51 instances
Trip distance exceeds shape distance below threshold (flagged by the MobilityData validator).
See the linked rule for what this affects.
Fix: Review the rule documentation for 'trip_distance_exceeds_shape_distance_below_threshold' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed. (Varies.)
Validator rule: trip_distance_exceeds_shape_distance_below_threshold · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Warning5 instances
Some rider-facing names are in ALL CAPS or all lowercase.
ALL-CAPS stop and headsign names are harder to read in apps and are read awkwardly by screen readers.
Fix: Use mixed case for stop names and headsigns (e.g. 'Main St & 2nd Ave', not 'MAIN ST & 2ND AVE'). (Often a bulk fix in your scheduling software.)
Validator rule: mixed_case_recommended_field · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Warning3 instances
Some service calendars in the feed have already expired.
Expired calendars are dead weight and can hide real schedule problems from your staff and vendors.
Fix: Remove past service periods the next time you export the feed. (One setting in most export tools.)
Validator rule: expired_calendar · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Warning1 instance
A recommended GTFS file (usually feed_info.txt) is missing.
feed_info.txt tells apps who publishes the feed and when it expires; without it nobody is warned before data goes stale.
Fix: Add feed_info.txt with publisher name, URL, language, and feed_start_date/feed_end_date. (One small file, set once in export settings.)
Validator rule: missing_recommended_file · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Warning1 instance
feed_info.txt is missing its start/end dates (the file itself is absent)
Apps and this scorecard can't warn anyone before the feed goes stale without stated validity dates.
Fix: Add feed_info.txt with feed_start_date and feed_end_date to your export. (Two fields, set once in export settings.)
Validator rule: scorecard_missing_feed_info_dates · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Warning1 instance
The feed contains no fare information.
Riders see 'fare unknown' in trip planners and can't budget their trip; visitors are most affected.
Fix: Add fare_attributes.txt (or Fares v2 files) with your fare structure. If your service is fare-free, ask to have it marked fare-free instead. (A small file for most flat-fare systems.)
Validator rule: scorecard_no_fare_data · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Best Practices (opens GTFS Best Practices on an external site)
- Info1 instance
Some files contain columns that are not part of the GTFS spec.
Harmless to riders, but apps ignore these columns and they can hide typos in real column names.
Fix: Check the flagged column names for misspellings of standard GTFS fields; remove them if they are vendor extras. (A quick look at the flagged files.)
Validator rule: unknown_column · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Info1 instance
feed_info.txt has no technical contact (feed_contact_email or feed_contact_url).
App makers and state data programs have nobody to email when they spot a problem with your feed, so problems linger.
Fix: Add feed_contact_email to feed_info.txt. (One field.)
Validator rule: scorecard_no_feed_contact · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
Beyond the grade
Opportunities that do not change your grade today: fare detail, on-demand service, and deeper accessibility data.
22 route badge(s) pair a color and text color below the WCAG 4.5:1 contrast bar (28, 32, 68, 22, 104, and more).
Consider: Adjust route_color or route_text_color so each pair clears 4.5:1. Often switching the text between black and white is enough.
1025 stop name(s) use abbreviations or symbols a screen reader may mispronounce, with no spoken form set ("State + State Cir", "Huron River + Westview", "Miller Ave. + Saunders Cresent", and more).
Consider: Add tts_stop_name with the spoken form, e.g. 'Main Street and Second Avenue', for the affected stops.
Some fixes we can make for you
These are the safe mechanical fixes, applied to a copy of your feed. They change only what is certain and leave everything else untouched. Review the diff before you publish.
Recased shouting route names 4 changes
For example: ELLSWORTH - STATE -> Ellsworth - State
NTD GTFS readiness Ready
Published at a public URL, valid, and current: the three things the NTD GTFS requirement asks of a feed all hold here. Only your own D-10 certification makes that official; this is a heads-up, not a determination.
- Published Ready
- Published at a public URL.
- Valid Ready
- Passes validation with no errors.
- Current Ready
- Service data covers the next 43 days.
- agency_id matches your NTD ID Not checked yet
- Setting your GTFS agency_id to your five-digit NTD ID is an optional way to line a feed up with its National Transit Database record. FTA links the two on your P-50 form, so it is not a required feed change. We don't have your NTD ID on file, so this is not checked yet.
In plain words: if you report to the federal transit database, you have to publish a working, up-to-date feed and confirm it once a year. This box is a heads-up on whether yours looks ready; it is not the official sign-off.
A readiness signal mapping this feed to the FTA National Transit Database GTFS requirement (Report Year 2023 onward: a public, valid, current feed, certified annually on the D-10). Aligning agency_id with your NTD ID lets the feed line up with your NTD record; the July 2025 final rule links the two on the P-50 form rather than requiring that feed change, and requires shapes.txt in the published GTFS: Full Reporters from Report Year 2025, and Reduced, Rural, and Tribal Reporters from Report Year 2026. Not an official determination; your certification is the official check.
Conformance mark Awarded
This feed earns the conformance mark: valid, current, and stating wheelchair access on nearly every stop and trip.
- Valid Met
- Passes validation with no errors.
- Current Met
- Service data covers the next 43 days.
- Accessible Met
- States wheelchair access on 100% of stops and 100% of trips.
In plain words: earn this mark when your feed passes validation, has not expired, and says whether nearly every stop and trip is wheelchair accessible.
A pass credential for a feed that is valid, current, and states wheelchair access on nearly every stop and trip. Accessibility here measures what the feed publishes, not whether a stop is physically usable. How the conformance mark works.
Clears the Google and Apple Maps four-week coverage bar. This feed has 43 days of service ahead, clearing the four-week (28-day) window Maps asks for. No validator errors either, so riders keep seeing this agency in their trip planners; warnings lower the grade here but do not remove a feed from Maps.
How this agency maps to the standards
A data-quality lens, not a compliance determination. Each category shows this feed's score and the standards it relates to: the FTA National Transit Database GTFS requirement, the MobilityData grading scheme, and the Google Transit gate. Read the full standards crosswalk.
- Correctness 72 / 100
- GTFS Schedule best practices, checked by the MobilityData validator. MobilityData grading: stop locations, route names and colors. Google Transit: a feed must pass validation to stay in Maps.
- Freshness 57 / 100
- The FTA National Transit Database expectation of a valid, current feed. Google Transit: an expired calendar drops the agency from Maps.
- Rider experience 78 / 100
- GTFS Best Practices for rider-facing fields. MobilityData grading: stop names and headsigns.
- Realtime quality Not yet published
- GTFS-Realtime best practices: a stable URL, high uptime, and frequent updates.
Show your grade
Put a live badge on your agency site or feed README. It updates daily and links back to this scorecard.
Prefer a shields.io style? Point a dynamic endpoint badge at the published badge.json.
Cite this record
This page updates on every check. The record below does not: it is the dated file this grade came from, published at https://gtfsscorecard.org/data/artifacts/ann-arbor-area-transportation-authority-theride-415/2026-07-10.json and never overwritten, pinning the grade, category scores, rubric version, validator version, and the scored feed's sha256 as they stood on 2026-07-10. Use it in a board packet, an NTD narrative, or a research citation instead of linking the live page, whose content will differ on your next visit.
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