Regional Transportation District (RTD)

21501 of 21501 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 (opens the GTFS Schedule reference on an external site)

Some scheduled trips move faster between stops than a transit vehicle can.

Usually a typo'd stop time; riders get arrival times no transit vehicle can meet.

Fix: Check the flagged stop times for transposed minutes. (A few minutes per flagged trip.)

Finding code: fast_travel_between_consecutive_stops · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

131 of 7574 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 (opens the GTFS Schedule reference on an external site)

23 of 260 trips scheduled during the sampling window had no live predictions.

Riders on those trips get schedule data dressed up as realtime. Caltrans expects every operating trip in TripUpdates.

Fix: Check with your AVL vendor that every vehicle assignment flows into TripUpdates, including school-day and tripper runs. (A vendor data-mapping question.)

Finding code: scorecard_rt_trip_coverage · Read the fix guide · See GTFS-Realtime reference (opens the GTFS-Realtime reference on an external site)

On some trips the stops fall along the route line in a different order than the schedule lists.

Trip planners can draw the transit vehicle doubling back or skipping ahead, which confuses riders reading the map.

Fix: Check the stop order and the shape direction in your scheduling software; the shape is often drawn backwards. (A few minutes per flagged trip.)

Finding code: stops_match_shape_out_of_order · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

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.)

Finding code: mixed_case_recommended_field · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

feed_info.txt lists no contact email and no contact URL.

Without a contact, apps like Google Maps can't reach you when they find a problem in the feed.

Fix: Add feed_contact_email or feed_contact_url to feed_info.txt. (One field, set once in export settings.)

Finding code: missing_feed_contact_email_and_url · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

Some route long names repeat the route's short name inside them.

Apps show both names together, so riders see the number twice, like '5 5 Downtown'.

Fix: Drop the short name from route_long_name and keep the long name descriptive, like 'Downtown via 5th Ave'. (One field per flagged route.)

Finding code: route_long_name_contains_short_name · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

Some stops exist in the feed but no trip ever stops at them.

Riders may walk to a stop where no transit vehicle is scheduled to arrive.

Fix: Remove retired stops from the export, or add them back to the trips that should serve them. (A review pass in your scheduling software.)

Finding code: stop_without_stop_time · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

The feed contains route shapes no trip uses.

Harmless to riders, but it bloats the feed and suggests stale export data.

Fix: Turn on 'remove unused shapes' (or the like) in your export tool. (One setting.)

Finding code: unused_shape · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

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.)

Finding code: scorecard_no_fare_data · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Best Practices (opens GTFS Best Practices on an external site)

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 (opens the GTFS Schedule reference on an external site)

Realtime data was up to 85 seconds old when sampled.

Stale positions and predictions are worse than none: riders watch a transit vehicle that already left.

Fix: Ask your AVL vendor to publish updates at least every 20 seconds (the Caltrans guideline). (A vendor configuration question.)

Finding code: scorecard_rt_stale

1 of 88 published service alerts ended more than 30 days ago.

A rider who reads an alert about a detour that finished weeks ago learns to ignore every future alert.

Fix: Remove or close out ended alerts in your alerts tool; most publish an end date and clear them automatically. (A few minutes in your alerts tool.)

Finding code: scorecard_rt_alerts_ended

Some trip headsigns name a stop along the way, not the final destination.

The sign should tell riders where the transit vehicle ends up, so a midpoint name can send them the wrong way.

Fix: Set trip_headsign to the trip's last stop or its overall destination. (Usually a bulk edit in your scheduling software.)

Finding code: trip_headsign_matches_intermediate_stop · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

Platform without parent station (flagged by the MobilityData validator).

See the linked rule for what this affects.

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

Finding code: platform_without_parent_station · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

feed_info.txt has no technical contact (feed_contact_email or feed_contact_url).

Trip-planning apps and regional data coordinators 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.)

Finding code: scorecard_no_feed_contact · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)