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Call-prep brief · checked 2026-09-13

SamTrans

Grade C · 72.9 / 100

Unchanged since 2026-09-12.

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

  1. Add the required column named in the finding to the flagged file.

    A file is missing a column that GTFS requires. Apps may reject the whole file, so riders could lose the affected routes or stops.

    Effort: Often an export setting; ask your vendor if it recurs.

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

    1852 of 1852 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.

  3. Set wheelchair_accessible on every trip. If every vehicle is accessible, this may be one default; otherwise use the value for each trip.

    6082 of 6082 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: A default or per-trip field in your export.

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
A file is missing a column that GTFS requires.
Next action
Add the required column named in the finding to the flagged file.
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

NTD GTFS readiness: Needs attention

This feed is close to NTD-ready. 1 validator error to resolve.

Published Ready
Published at a public URL.
Valid Needs attention
1 validator error to resolve.
Current Ready
Service data covers the next 62 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 NTD ID (optional): Different (allowed). Your feed's agency_id is SM; your National Transit Database ID is 90009. A feed that serves several agencies (a shared regional feed) can legitimately carry more than one agency_id. The values do not need to equal the five-digit NTD ID, so this difference is allowed and carries no score. Confirm that P-50 crosswalks agency_id SM to NTD ID 90009, and keep the feed value stable. Do not change it solely to make the two values equal.

The bar this score answers to

The published guideline in California is California Transit Data Guidelines. Caltrans' published quality guidelines and compliance checklist; this rubric is anchored to them.

Key facts

Feed URL
http://api.511.org/transit/datafeeds?operator_id=SM
Last checked
2026-09-13
Service window
62 days of service data remain. Last service date 2026-11-14.
Feed version
20260903
Location
California

Part of the California portfolio: see where this agency sits among the other feeds in that group before the call.

A data-quality and completeness read to support an agency conversation. Not an official compliance determination. Rubric v1.3, validator 8.0.1.