Call-prep brief · checked 2026-07-08
Metra
Grade F · 34.2 / 100
Unchanged since 2026-07-07.
For this call: lead with the grade and the three fixes below, then confirm the feed is current and the NTD details line up. Each fix is framed as a next step, not a failure.
What changed since the last check
- Correctness no change
- Freshness no change
- Rider experience no change
Top three things to fix
Add feed_start_date and feed_end_date to feed_info.txt and include calendar end dates in your export.
Neither feed_info.txt nor the calendars state when service ends. Nobody can tell when this feed will go stale.
Effort: Likely a one-time export setting.
Set wheelchair_boarding to 1 (accessible) or 2 (not accessible) for every stop. A field survey can start with the busiest stops.
240 of 240 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.
Effort: A column in stops.txt; your scheduling software likely has it.
Set wheelchair_accessible on every trip (most small-agency fleets are 100% accessible, so this is often a single default).
4928 of 4928 trips don't say whether the vehicle is wheelchair accessible. Even with accessible stops, riders need to know the bus itself can take them.
Effort: Often one default setting in your export.
Agencies here usually clear this within about 1 week (based on 5 observed fixes).
NTD certification readiness: Not ready
Resolve this before you certify on the D-10. No service end date could be read, so currency is unknown.
- Published Ready
- Published at a public URL.
- Valid Ready
- Passes validation with no errors.
- Current Not ready
- No service end date could be read, so currency is unknown.
agency_id and NTD ID: Not aligned. Your feed's agency_id is METRA; your National Transit Database ID is 50118. A feed that serves several agencies (a shared regional feed) can legitimately carry more than one agency_id, so a difference here is a heads-up, not an error. Optionally set the agency_id for your service to 50118 in agency.txt (and the matching agency_id in routes.txt) so the feed lines up with your NTD record. It is a convenience, not a required feed change: FTA also links agency_id to your NTD ID on your P-50 form.
Key facts
- Feed URL
- https://transitfeeds.com/p/metra/169/latest/download
- Last checked
- 2026-07-08
- Service window
- Expiry date not stated in the feed.
- State
- Illinois
Part of the Illinois portfolio: see where this agency sits among the state's feeds before the call.
A data-quality and completeness read to support an agency conversation. Not an official compliance determination. Rubric v1.1, validator 8.0.1.