Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)

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. Use mixed case for stop names and headsigns (e.g. 'Main St & 2nd Ave', not 'MAIN ST & 2ND AVE').

   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.

   Estimated effort: Often a bulk fix in your scheduling software.

2. Review the rule documentation for 'trip_distance_exceeds_shape_distance_below_threshold' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed.

   Trip distance exceeds shape distance below threshold (flagged by the MobilityData validator). See the linked rule for what this affects.

   Estimated effort: Varies.

3. Remove past service periods the next time you export the feed.

   Some service calendars in the feed have already expired. Expired calendars are dead weight and can hide real schedule problems from your staff and vendors.

   Estimated effort: One setting in most export tools.

   Agencies here usually clear this within about 1 week (based on 61 observed fixes).

Where this agency stands

Ahead of 59% of all tracked agencies, and ahead of 73% of large agencies nationwide.