Sioux Area Metro (SAM)

Top things to fix

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.

Score by category

Over time

Overall score across the last 10 checks — unchanged since 2026-07-08.

What changed since your last check

• Correctness— no change
• Freshness— no change
• Rider experience— no change

What changed in this feed

Overall grade and score held steady since 2026-07-08.

Same feed file as 2026-07-08; the published zip did not change.

Subscribe to this feed’s changes (Atom) to hear about grade drops in a reader, with no sign-up.

Everything we checked

• Error1 instance

  Service data ended 829 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.

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

  Validator rule: scorecard_feed_expired · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Best Practices (opens GTFS Best Practices on an external site)

• Warning411 instances

  411 of 411 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.)

  Validator rule: scorecard_wheelchair_boarding_unknown · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Schedule reference (opens the GTFS Schedule reference on an external site)

• Warning324 instances

  324 of 324 trips don't say whether the vehicle is wheelchair accessible.

  Even with accessible stops, riders need to know the bus itself can take them.

  Fix: Set wheelchair_accessible on every trip (most small-agency fleets are 100% accessible, so this is often a single default). (Often one default setting in your export.)

  Agencies here usually clear this within about 1 week (based on 5 observed fixes).

  Validator rule: scorecard_wheelchair_accessible_unknown · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Schedule reference (opens the GTFS Schedule reference on an external site)

• Warning293 instances

  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.)

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

• Warning21 instances

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

  Riders may walk to a stop where no bus 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.)

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

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

• Warning16 instances

  16 of 324 trips have no headsign.

  Riders at the stop can't tell which direction a bus is going.

  Fix: Populate trip_headsign to match what the bus displays. (Usually a bulk edit in your scheduling software.)

  Validator rule: scorecard_missing_headsigns · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Best Practices (opens GTFS Best Practices on an external site)

• Warning2 instances

  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.

  Fix: Remove past service periods the next time you export the feed. (One setting in most export tools.)

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

  Validator rule: expired_calendar · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

• Warning1 instance

  This feed's service calendar runs out within the next 7 days.

  When the calendar ends, Google Maps and other trip planners drop your agency entirely. Riders see no service at all.

  Fix: Export and publish an updated GTFS feed that covers at least the next 30 days of service. (Usually a re-export from your scheduling software.)

  Agencies here usually clear this within about 1 week (based on 16 observed fixes).

  Validator rule: feed_expiration_date7_days · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

• Warning1 instance

  Many of the feed's trips don't run at all in the next 7 days.

  It usually means old service periods are still in the export, making the feed bigger and harder to check.

  Fix: Trim past service periods the next time you export. (One setting in most export tools.)

  Agencies here usually clear this within about 1 week (based on 31 observed fixes).

  Validator rule: trip_coverage_not_active_for_next7_days · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

• Warning1 instance

  This feed describes flexible (demand-responsive) service but has no booking_rules.txt.

  Riders can see the service area but not how or when to reserve a trip, so they can't actually use the service.

  Fix: Add booking_rules.txt saying how far ahead and how to book (phone, app, or web). (A small file; one rule often covers the whole service.)

  Validator rule: scorecard_flex_no_booking_rules · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Schedule reference (opens the GTFS Schedule reference on an external site)

• Info34 instances

  Some files contain columns that are not part of the GTFS spec.

  Harmless to riders, but apps ignore these columns and they can hide typos in real column names.

  Fix: Check the flagged column names for misspellings of standard GTFS fields; remove them if they are vendor extras. (A quick look at the flagged files.)

  Validator rule: unknown_column · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

• Info8 instances

  Unknown file (flagged by the MobilityData validator).

  See the linked rule for what this affects.

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

  Agencies here usually clear this within about 1 week (based on 6 observed fixes).

  Validator rule: unknown_file · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

• Info2 instances

  Service window outside feed period (flagged by the MobilityData validator).

  See the linked rule for what this affects.

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

  Agencies here usually clear this within about 1 week (based on 17 observed fixes).

  Validator rule: service_window_outside_feed_period · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)

Beyond the grade

Opportunities that do not change your grade today: fare detail, on-demand service, and deeper accessibility data.

• Flex zones are published but no booking_rules.txt is present.

  Consider: Add booking_rules.txt with how far ahead and how to reserve (phone, app, or web).

• 7 route badge(s) pair a color and text color below the WCAG 4.5:1 contrast bar (1, 4, 5, 6, 7, and more).

  Consider: Adjust route_color or route_text_color so each pair clears 4.5:1. Often switching the text between black and white is enough.

• 385 stop name(s) use abbreviations or symbols a screen reader may mispronounce, with no spoken form set ("Marion between 32nd & Oak", "Cliff/26th", "Arrowhead Parkway/Highline SW Corner", and more).

  Consider: Add tts_stop_name with the spoken form, e.g. 'Main Street and Second Avenue', for the affected stops.