GTFS Scorecard
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Feed status · checked 2026-08-02

Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA)

Based on the feed this agency publishes

Service mode Rail + Bus

63.7 / 100

First scorecard for this agency

Catalogued in Texas.

Covers 161 daysAccessibility gaps

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 v1.3, validator 8.0.1.

Measured 4 of 4 score categories from the agency's own feed.

How we measured this

Confidence in this measurement: high.

  • All four score categories were measured this run.
  • Realtime was sampled in one bounded window of 6 snapshots.
  • The feed was downloaded from the agency's own URL.

Confidence describes how much the pipeline could measure this run, not the feed itself. It never changes the grade.

Top things to fix

Fix 01

Check the trip updates endpoint with your AVL vendor; it should return a fresh GTFS-Realtime protobuf on every request.

The trip updates realtime feed failed during sampling. When this feed is down, riders see scheduled times presented as if they were live.

⏱ Usually a vendor support ticket.worth about +50 points in its category

Fix 02

Check the vehicle positions endpoint with your AVL vendor; it should return a fresh GTFS-Realtime protobuf on every request.

The vehicle positions realtime feed failed during sampling. When this feed is down, riders see scheduled times presented as if they were live.

⏱ Usually a vendor support ticket.worth about +50 points in its category

Fix 03

Set wheelchair_boarding to 1 (accessible) or 2 (not accessible) for every stop. A field survey can start with the busiest stops.Likely your team

142 of 160 stops don't say whether a wheelchair user can board there. Riders who use wheelchairs can't plan a trip when accessibility is marked 'unknown'; apps show no information at all.

⏱ A column in stops.txt; your scheduling software likely has it.worth about +22 points in its category

This feed is exported from Remix. The change happens in your Remix workspace; once your planners update the data there, the published export picks it up.

Finding handoff

Move one finding to a recheck

Select one finding. Copy the request, make the change in the feed-producing tool, then compare the next complete run.

Feed evidence
The trip updates realtime feed failed during sampling.
Next action
Check the trip updates endpoint with your AVL vendor; it should return a fresh GTFS-Realtime protobuf on every request.
Recheck
Publish the changed feed at the same URL. On the next complete, comparable scorecard run, confirm that this finding is no longer reported.
Copy handoff text
How to make and check these changes

Check the result on the published feed. Read the guide, make the change in your tool, and use the next comparable run to see whether the finding is still reported. Only an action or ticket record can attribute who made the change.

  1. Check the trip updates endpoint with your AVL vendor; it should return a fresh GTFS-Realtime protobuf on every request. · Read the fix guide

    Make the change. This feed is exported from Remix. The change happens in your Remix workspace; once your planners update the data there, the published export picks it up.

    Check the result. The next scorecard run checks this finding again. If a comparable check no longer reports it, the feed's clearance log records that result. This confirms feed state, not who made the change. Self-check a feed before you publish.

  2. Check the vehicle positions endpoint with your AVL vendor; it should return a fresh GTFS-Realtime protobuf on every request. · Read the fix guide

    Make the change. This feed is exported from Remix. The change happens in your Remix workspace; once your planners update the data there, the published export picks it up.

    Check the result. The next scorecard run checks this finding again. If a comparable check no longer reports it, the feed's clearance log records that result. This confirms feed state, not who made the change. Self-check a feed before you publish.

  3. Set wheelchair_boarding to 1 (accessible) or 2 (not accessible) for every stop. A field survey can start with the busiest stops. · Read the fix guide

    Make the change. This feed is exported from Remix. The change happens in your Remix workspace; once your planners update the data there, the published export picks it up.

    Check the result. The next scorecard run checks this finding again. If a comparable check no longer reports it, the feed's clearance log records that result. This confirms feed state, not who made the change. Self-check a feed before you publish.

Rider view: what this feed publishes

A quick read of rider-facing information in this feed.

Schedule visibility
The feed's last published service date is in 161 days.
Published accessibility data
Accessibility information is stated for 11.2% of stops and 44.2% of trips. This measures published data, not whether stops or vehicles are physically usable.
Fare information
Fare information is published using GTFS Fares v1.
Realtime information
No realtime feed was reachable during sampling.

Important: This does not rate service reliability. Riders should confirm current service alerts, fares, and accessibility accommodations with the transit operator before traveling.

Send your vendor a fix request

This feed is exported from Remix. If your planners work in Remix, the change happens in your own workspace; otherwise forward this to whoever maintains your Remix data. Each fix names the validator notice and a guide link.

Score by category

Correctness75.8 / 100

The MobilityData validator flagged 7 kinds of issue across 3199 instances (0 error, 563 warning, 2636 informational).

Freshness100.0 / 100

Service data covers the next 161 days.

Rider experience68.9 / 100

11% of stops state wheelchair accessibility (11% marked accessible, 0% marked not accessible). This measures what the feed publishes, not whether a stop is physically usable. Fare data is published.

Accessibility23.6 / 100

11% of stops state accessibility (11% marked accessible). Reflects what the feed states, not verified physical usability.

3 accessibility depth signals

  • 4 route badge(s) pair a color and text color below the WCAG 4.5:1 contrast bar (A-train, BST161, R3, NT121).

    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.

  • 109 stop name(s) use abbreviations or symbols a screen reader may mispronounce, with no spoken form set ("The Gateway @ Denton", "NB Locust @ 3rd St", "SB Bonnie Brae @ Panhandle", and more).

    Consider: Add tts_stop_name with the spoken form, e.g. 'Main Street and Second Avenue', for the affected stops.

  • This feed models stations or entrances but has no pathways.txt and levels.txt.

    Consider: Add pathways.txt connecting entrances, platforms, and elevators, and levels.txt for each floor, so the step-free route is described.

Opportunities to strengthen the data, not deductions from the sub-score above. States what the second accessibility lens can check from the feed, not verified physical usability.

FaresLegacy fares

Fares are applied to trips.

Realtime quality0.0 / 100

Sampled 6 times outside service hours: 0 of 2 configured feeds healthy; vehicle position plausibility was not measurable.

Routes and stops

Each route is drawn once, using the longest shape its trips follow; stops are the dots.

This feed has 160 stops.

Skip to route and stop data

The route and stop data is ready below. Load the map only when you want the geographic view. It uses additional data.

Basemap: OpenFreeMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors. Routes and stops: this agency's GTFS feed.

  • DS181 (purple)
  • PE-A (red)
  • NTX (purple)
  • R3 (teal)
  • R6 (green)
  • R7 (gray)
  • A-train (orange)
  • DP141 (brown)
  • EP131 (teal)
  • NT121 (green)
  • BST161 (orange)
  • CE171 (purple)
  • CP151 (red)
  • AC101 (green)
Routes in Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA)'s feed
RouteTypeLine color
DS181 NTXBuspurple
PE-A Lot 80Busred
NTX North Park - TMBuspurple
R3 Morse TransferBusteal
R6 Lot 91Busgreen
R7 Rayzor ParkBusgray
A-trainRailorange
DP141 Bonnie BraeBusbrown
EP131 Victory HallBusteal
NT121 The RetreatBusgreen
BST161 The GatewayBusorange
CE171 MedPark StationBuspurple
CP151 The ForumBusred
AC101 Lot 20 TransferBusgreen
List every stop
  • NB Loop 288 @ McKinney
  • WB McKinney @ Duchess
  • Our Daily Bread
  • EB University @ Bell
  • NB Bonnie Brae @ Panhandle
  • SB Bonnie Brae @ Panhandle
  • EB University @ Locust
  • Lot 20 Transfer 1
  • DATCU Center Lot
  • NB Bonnie Brae @ University
  • SB Bonnie Brae @ University
  • EB Eagle @ Bernard
  • DATCU Northeast Lot
  • NB I35-E Frontage Road @ Point Bank
  • DDTC 1
  • DDTC 4
  • DDTC 3
  • EB Hickory @ Ave G
  • Union 4
  • Union 5
  • WB Maple @ Ave A
  • NCTC Campus
  • The Retreat
  • Lot 20 Transfer 3
  • NTX
  • Arch
  • HS Garage
  • Lot 20
  • Lot 80 South
  • 14 Fifty One
  • TM North Park
  • Morse Transfer
  • Serve Denton
  • Rayzor Park
  • City Parc
  • Hurley Administration Building
  • NB Locust @ 3rd St
  • Union 2
  • Union 3
  • Union 1
  • Scripture @ Bryan
  • SB Elm @ Windsor
  • Midtown
  • NB Elm @ Windsor
  • SB Bonnie Brae @ Women's Center
  • Lot 80
  • Hickory @ Fry
  • SB Elm @ Orr
  • NB Locust @ Coronado
  • NB Locust @ Sherman
  • SB Elm @ Discovery
  • NB Locust @ Pauline
  • SB Elm @ Taliaferro
  • EB Hickory @ Bernard
  • NB Heritage Trail @ Eastpark
  • NB Heritage Trail @ Panhandle
  • SB Bonnie Brae @ Crescent
  • NB Mockingbird @ Beverly
  • EB Audra @ Bayfield
  • Mockingbird @ Paisley
  • NB Elm @ Nicosia
  • SB Elm @ Nicosia
  • NB Locust @ Hann
  • WB Eagle @ Bernard
  • TP Fort Worth @ W. Collins
  • NB Bonnie Brae @ Conquest (nearside)
  • TP NB Fort Worth @ Lindsey
  • NB Locust @ University
  • W. Hickory @ N. Texas
  • SB Bonnie Brae @ Conquest
  • Elm @ Discovery
  • ESLC
  • Pohl Rec Center
  • Russell Newman @ Market
  • Elm @ Brentwood
  • SB Bonnie Brae @ Walt Parker
  • UNT Transfer
  • DDTC
  • Hickory St @ Locust St
  • DDTC Rail
  • WB Oak @ Elm
  • WB Oak @ Denton St
  • WB Oak @ Fulton St
  • WB Oak @ Fry
  • WB Oak @ Normal
  • WB Oak @ Bradley
  • WB Oak @ Ave G
  • WB Oak @ Thomas
  • WB Oak @ I-35
  • EB Scripture @ I-35
  • NB Bonnie Brae @ Women's Center
  • SB Bonnie Brae @ Stella
  • EB Charlotte @ Ave G
  • EB Hickory @ Ave B
  • EB Hickory @ Piner
  • EB Hickory @ Elm
  • NB Welch @ Mulberry
  • SB Bell @ Chapel
  • SB Bell @ Administration
  • SB Bell @ Texas
  • SB Bell @ Mingo - Senior Center
  • WB Elm @ Fallmeadow
  • EB Hickory @ Bradshaw
  • EB Hickory @ Wood
  • EB McKinney @ Hettie
  • EB McKinney @ The Veranda
  • EB McKinney @ Bellaire
  • EB McKinney @ Mockingbird
  • EB McKinney @ Cardinal
  • EB McKinney @ Duchess
  • EB McKinney @ Mayhill
  • NB Cardinal @ McKinney
  • NB Cardinal @ Hummingbird
  • NB Cardinal @ Oriole
  • WB McKinney @ Mockingbird
  • WB McKinney @ Bellaire
  • WB McKinney @ The Fountains
  • WB Mckinney @ Audra
  • WB McKinney @ Jannie
  • SB Wood @ Hickory
  • WB Hickory @ Bradshaw
  • SB Brinker @ Medpark
  • EB Colorado @ Brinker
  • EB McKinney @ Campbell
  • EB McKinney @ Mack Park
  • EB University @ Bonnie Brae
  • MedPark Station
  • Highland Village/Lewisville Lake Station
  • Old Town Station
  • Hebron Station
  • Trinity Mills Station
  • NB Exposition @ Hickory
  • WB Hickory @ City Hall E
  • NB Wood @ McKinney
  • WB McKinney @ Mack Park
  • DDTC 2
  • MedPark Station for Bus
  • WB Oak @ Bonnie Brae
  • WB Oak @ Oakland
  • WB McKinney @ Bell
  • Kerr Hall / BLB
  • Maple Hall
  • Honors Hall
  • University Uptown
  • EB Hickory @ Ave H
  • The Forum/Republic
  • The Leonard
  • Victory Hall
  • NB Bonnie Brae @ Emery
  • NB Bonnie Brae @ Windsor
  • Discovery Park
  • Bonnie Brae @ Windsor
  • SB Bonnie Brae @ Emery
  • The Gateway @ Denton
  • The Venue - Lindsey
  • The Ridge
  • Union 6
  • The Venue (Bernard St)
  • The Arbors
  • University Place

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

12 findings, ordered by severity.

Show every finding
  • Error1 instance

    The trip updates realtime feed failed during sampling.

    When this feed is down, riders see scheduled times presented as if they were live.

    Fix: Check the trip updates endpoint with your AVL vendor; it should return a fresh GTFS-Realtime protobuf on every request. (Usually a vendor support ticket.)

    Finding code: scorecard_rt_trip_updates_unreachable · Read the fix guide · See GTFS-Realtime reference

  • Error1 instance

    The vehicle positions realtime feed failed during sampling.

    When this feed is down, riders see scheduled times presented as if they were live.

    Fix: Check the vehicle positions endpoint with your AVL vendor; it should return a fresh GTFS-Realtime protobuf on every request. (Usually a vendor support ticket.)

    Finding code: scorecard_rt_vehicle_positions_unreachable · Read the fix guide · See GTFS-Realtime reference

  • Warning1465 instances

    1465 of 2627 trips don't say whether the vehicle is wheelchair accessible.

    Even with accessible stops, riders need to know the transit vehicle itself can take them.

    Fix: Set wheelchair_accessible on every trip. If every vehicle is accessible, this may be one default; otherwise use the value for each trip. (A default or per-trip field in your export.)

    Finding code: scorecard_wheelchair_accessible_unknown · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Schedule reference

  • Warning513 instances

    On some trips the stop distances run a little past the end of the route line.

    The stop and shape distance values don't quite line up, so any math that uses them can drift.

    Fix: Re-generate shape_dist_traveled on export so stop and shape distances use the same units. (Usually an export-tool fix, not hand editing.)

    Finding code: trip_distance_exceeds_shape_distance_below_threshold · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules

  • Warning142 instances

    142 of 160 stops don't say whether a wheelchair user can board there.

    Riders who use wheelchairs can't plan a trip when accessibility is marked 'unknown'; apps show no information at all.

    Fix: Set wheelchair_boarding to 1 (accessible) or 2 (not accessible) for every stop. A field survey can start with the busiest stops. (A column in stops.txt; your scheduling software likely has it.)

    Finding code: scorecard_wheelchair_boarding_unknown · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Schedule reference

  • Warning47 instances

    Some stops sit far from the route line, going by the feed's own distance values.

    Trip planners may draw the route down the wrong path or point riders to the wrong boarding location.

    Fix: Check the flagged stops' shape_dist_traveled against the route shape, and re-generate it on export if they disagree. (Usually an export-tool fix, not hand editing.)

    Finding code: stop_too_far_from_shape_using_user_distance · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules

  • Warning2 instances

    Some service calendars in the feed have already ended.

    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.)

    Finding code: expired_calendar · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules

  • Warning1 instance

    Many of the feed's trips don't run at all in the next 7 days.

    It usually means old service periods are still in the export, making the feed bigger and harder to check.

    Fix: Trim past service periods the next time you export. (One setting in most export tools.)

    Finding code: trip_coverage_not_active_for_next7_days · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules

  • Warning1 instance

    This feed models stations or entrances but has no pathways.txt.

    Trip planners can't guide riders through the station, and there is no step-free route information for wheelchair users.

    Fix: Add pathways.txt connecting entrances, platforms, and any elevators, with a level for each. (Worth it for multi-level or large stations; flat stops don't need it.)

    Finding code: scorecard_station_no_pathways · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Schedule reference

  • Info2627 instances

    Unsorted stop times (flagged by the MobilityData validator).

    See the linked rule for what this affects.

    Fix: Review the rule documentation for 'unsorted_stop_times' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed. (Varies.)

    Finding code: unsorted_stop_times · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules

  • Info7 instances

    The feed has a stretch of two weeks or more with no service running.

    A long gap can mean dates were left out of the calendar. Apps then show no trips on those days.

    Fix: Check whether the gap is real, like a seasonal break; if not, add the missing dates to the calendar. (A review of your calendar dates.)

    Finding code: big_gap_in_service · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules

  • Info2 instances

    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.)

    Finding code: unknown_column · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules

NTD GTFS readiness Ready

Published at a public URL, valid, current, and identified with agency_id: the four feed checks for RY2026 all hold here. Only your own D-10 and P-50 filings make 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 161 days.
agency_id provided Ready
agency.txt provides agency_id. For RY2026, keep one stable value for each NTD reporter represented in the feed and crosswalk each value on the P-50 form.
agency_id equals your NTD ID (optional) Not checked yet
This feed provides agency_id. For RY2026, keep one stable value for each NTD reporter represented in the feed and crosswalk it on the P-50 form. The value does not need to equal the five-digit NTD ID; we do not have that ID on file, so the optional equality comparison is not checked yet.
shapes.txt covers your trips Ready
All 2627 trips have a shape in shapes.txt.

In plain words: if you report to the federal transit database, you have to publish a working, up-to-date feed, provide a stable agency_id for each represented reporter, and confirm the feed and P-50 crosswalk each year. This box is a heads-up; your filings are the official check.

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). For RY2026, each represented reporter needs a stable agency_id, unique within the feed and crosswalked to its five-digit NTD ID on P-50; the values do not need to be equal. FTA also 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 Not yet

This feed is close to the conformance mark. States wheelchair access on 11% of stops and 44% of trips; the mark needs 90% of each.

Valid Met
Passes validation with no errors.
Current Met
Service data covers the next 161 days.
Accessible Not yet
States wheelchair access on 11% of stops and 44% of trips; the mark needs 90% of each.

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.

Realtime reliability

The realtime feed responded on 0.0% of 200 checks over the last 34 days, with lag not reported by the feed.

Sampled on a schedule between full scores, so this tracks uptime and freshness over time rather than at a single moment.

Clears the Google and Apple Maps four-week coverage bar. This feed has 161 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

The scorecard is a data-quality lens, not a compliance determination. Its universal references describe good GTFS and useful rider information. Useful references here are GTFS Schedule Best Practices, GTFS-Realtime Best Practices, MobilityData grading scheme, Google Transit publication guidance, FTA National Transit Database GTFS requirement. Read the full standards crosswalk.

Correctness 76 / 100
GTFS Schedule best practices, checked by the MobilityData validator. MobilityData grading covers stop locations, route names, and colors. Google Transit requires a feed to pass validation for publication. FTA NTD readiness also checks that the published feed is valid.
Freshness 100 / 100
GTFS Schedule best practices call for a dataset that stays current. An expired calendar can remove service from Google Transit and other rider trip planners. FTA NTD readiness also checks that the published feed is current.
Rider experience 69 / 100
GTFS Best Practices for rider-facing fields. MobilityData grading covers stop names and headsigns.
Realtime quality 0 / 100
GTFS-Realtime best practices: a stable URL, high uptime, and frequent updates.

Show your grade

Put a badge on your agency site or feed README. It updates after each completed scoring check and links back to this scorecard.

Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) GTFS data quality grade: D

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/denton-county-transportation-authority-dcta/2026-08-02.json and never overwritten, pinning the grade, category scores, rubric version, validator version, reader archive profile, and the scored feed's sha256 as they stood on 2026-08-02. Use it in a board packet, a regulatory filing, or a research citation instead of linking the live page, whose content will differ on your next visit.

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