Merced County Transit (The Bus)

What this grade measures

The quality of the schedule data this agency publishes for trip-planning apps: whether riders using Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Transit see current, correct, and complete information. It measures the data feed, not service quality or operations.

Progress this period

No newly cleared items this period. The score and trend above reflect where the feed stands today.

What needs attention next

Three improvements, in priority order, each sized so the board can see what it is approving:

1. Re-export the feed with a calendar that reaches further out, and set feed_info feed_end_date past your next service change.

   Service data ended 66 day(s) ago. When the calendar runs out, trip planners stop showing this agency even though the buses are still running. Riders are told the service does not exist.

   Estimated effort: Usually one export setting; export on a schedule so it never lapses again.

   Agencies here usually clear this within about 1 week (based on 18 observed fixes).

2. 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.

   Estimated effort: Usually a vendor support ticket.

   Agencies here usually clear this within about 1 week (based on 11 observed fixes).

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

   506 of 506 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.

   Estimated effort: A column in stops.txt; your scheduling software likely has it.

Trillium produces and hosts this feed as a service. These changes are made on their side: send the fix list to your Trillium contact and they apply it and republish.

Where this agency stands

Ahead of 44% of all tracked agencies, and ahead of 41% of mid-size agencies nationwide.