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Feed status · checked 2026-07-10
Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA Metro)
Based on the feed this agency publishes
First scorecard for this agency
Ahead of 62% of all tracked agencies and 77% of large agencies.
A data-quality and completeness lens to help an agency improve its GTFS feed. Not an official compliance determination from any transit program. New to this? How to read your scorecard. Interactive view of this scorecard. Rubric v1.1, validator 8.0.1.
Checked for changes 11 days ago; last changed 19 days ago.
Top things to fix
Review the rule documentation for 'equal_shape_distance_same_coordinates' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed.
Equal shape distance same coordinates (flagged by the MobilityData validator). See the linked rule for what this affects.
⏱ Varies.worth about +8 points
Use mixed case for stop names and headsigns (e.g. 'Main St & 2nd Ave', not 'MAIN ST & 2ND AVE').Likely your export tool
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.
⏱ Often a bulk fix in your scheduling software.worth about +8 points
Review the flagged fields and fill in the ones your riders would use.
Some files are missing recommended (not required) fields. Recommended fields like agency_phone or stop descriptions make the feed more useful to riders and trip planners.
⏱ A field at a time; not urgent.worth about +8 points
Close the loop on each fix. Read the guide, make the change in your tool, and let the next run verify it — the scorecard shows the fix; the agency publishes it.
Review the rule documentation for 'equal_shape_distance_same_coordinates' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed. · Read the fix guide
Make the change. Make this change in whatever tool produces your feed, then re-export.
Prove it cleared. The next scorecard run re-checks this automatically and, once it is gone, mints a dated receipt. Self-check a feed before you publish.
Use mixed case for stop names and headsigns (e.g. 'Main St & 2nd Ave', not 'MAIN ST & 2ND AVE'). · Read the fix guide
Make the change. Make this change in whatever tool produces your feed, then re-export.
Prove it cleared. The next scorecard run re-checks this automatically and, once it is gone, mints a dated receipt. Self-check a feed before you publish.
Review the flagged fields and fill in the ones your riders would use. · Read the fix guide
Make the change. Make this change in whatever tool produces your feed, then re-export.
Prove it cleared. The next scorecard run re-checks this automatically and, once it is gone, mints a dated receipt. Self-check a feed before you publish.
Send your vendor a fix request
You may not control the GTFS export yourself. Copy this and send it to whoever runs your scheduling software export. It names each fix with the validator notice and a guide link.
Score by category
The MobilityData validator flagged 6 kinds of issue across 11892 instances (0 error, 11891 warning, 1 informational).
Service data covers the next 36 days.
100% of stops state wheelchair accessibility (1% marked accessible, 99% marked not accessible). This measures what the feed publishes, not whether a stop is physically usable. Fare data is published.
100% of stops state accessibility (1% marked accessible). Reflects what the feed states, not verified physical usability.
Fares are applied to trips.
Not scored yet. Nothing here counts against the grade.
Over time
This is the first scorecard for this agency. A trend and a "what changed" summary appear here once it has been checked more than once.
Everything we checked
- Warning8507 instances
Equal shape distance same coordinates (flagged by the MobilityData validator).
See the linked rule for what this affects.
Fix: Review the rule documentation for 'equal_shape_distance_same_coordinates' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed. (Varies.)
Validator rule: equal_shape_distance_same_coordinates · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Warning3320 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)
- Warning53 instances
Some files are missing recommended (not required) fields.
Recommended fields like agency_phone or stop descriptions make the feed more useful to riders and trip planners.
Fix: Review the flagged fields and fill in the ones your riders would use. (A field at a time; not urgent.)
Validator rule: missing_recommended_field · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Warning8 instances
Equal shape distance diff coordinates distance below threshold (flagged by the MobilityData validator).
See the linked rule for what this affects.
Fix: Review the rule documentation for 'equal_shape_distance_diff_coordinates_distance_below_threshold' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed. (Varies.)
Validator rule: equal_shape_distance_diff_coordinates_distance_below_threshold · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Warning3 instances
Stop too far from shape using user distance (flagged by the MobilityData validator).
See the linked rule for what this affects.
Fix: Review the rule documentation for 'stop_too_far_from_shape_using_user_distance' at https://gtfs-validator.mobilitydata.org/rules.html and check the flagged rows in your feed. (Varies.)
Validator rule: stop_too_far_from_shape_using_user_distance · Read the fix guide · See MobilityData GTFS Validator rules (opens the validator rules on an external site)
- Info3302 instances
About 3302 stop names are written in ALL CAPS.
Mixed-case names are easier to read in apps and are read more naturally by screen readers.
Fix: Rename stops to mixed case (e.g. 'Main St & 2nd Ave'). (Often a bulk fix in your scheduling software.)
Validator rule: scorecard_stop_names_all_caps · Read the fix guide · See GTFS Best Practices (opens GTFS Best Practices on an external site)
- Info1 instance
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.)
Validator rule: unknown_file · 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.
21 route badge(s) pair a color and text color below the WCAG 4.5:1 contrast bar (1, 16, 19, 20, 21, 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.
3363 stop name(s) use abbreviations or symbols a screen reader may mispronounce, with no spoken form set ("3RD ST 508", "3RD ST 640", "3rd ST. WEST OF BRENT SPENCE BRIDGE", and more).
Consider: Add tts_stop_name with the spoken form, e.g. 'Main Street and Second Avenue', for the affected stops.
Some fixes we can make for you
These are the safe mechanical fixes, applied to a copy of your feed. They change only what is certain and leave everything else untouched. Review the diff before you publish.
Recased shouting stop names 3302 changes
For example: 3RD ST & EGGLESTON AVE -> 3rd St & Eggleston Ave
NTD GTFS readiness Ready
Published at a public URL, valid, and current: the three things the NTD GTFS requirement asks of a feed all hold here. Only your own D-10 certification makes that official; this is a heads-up, not a determination.
- Published Ready
- Published at a public URL.
- Valid Ready
- Passes validation with no errors.
- Current Ready
- Service data covers the next 36 days.
- agency_id matches your NTD ID Not aligned
- Your feed's agency_id is METRO; your National Transit Database ID is 50012. 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 50012 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.
In plain words: if you report to the federal transit database, you have to publish a working, up-to-date feed and confirm it once a year. This box is a heads-up on whether yours looks ready; it is not the official sign-off.
A readiness signal mapping this feed to the FTA National Transit Database GTFS requirement (Report Year 2023 onward: a public, valid, current feed, certified annually on the D-10). Aligning agency_id with your NTD ID lets the feed line up with your NTD record; the July 2025 final rule links the two on the P-50 form rather than requiring that feed change, and requires shapes.txt in the published GTFS: Full Reporters from Report Year 2025, and Reduced, Rural, and Tribal Reporters from Report Year 2026. Not an official determination; your certification is the official check.
Conformance mark Awarded
This feed earns the conformance mark: valid, current, and stating wheelchair access on nearly every stop and trip.
- Valid Met
- Passes validation with no errors.
- Current Met
- Service data covers the next 36 days.
- Accessible Met
- States wheelchair access on 100% of stops and 100% of trips.
In plain words: earn this mark when your feed passes validation, has not expired, and says whether nearly every stop and trip is wheelchair accessible.
A pass credential for a feed that is valid, current, and states wheelchair access on nearly every stop and trip. Accessibility here measures what the feed publishes, not whether a stop is physically usable. How the conformance mark works.
Clears the Google and Apple Maps four-week coverage bar. This feed has 36 days of service ahead, clearing the four-week (28-day) window Maps asks for. No validator errors either, so riders keep seeing this agency in their trip planners; warnings lower the grade here but do not remove a feed from Maps.
How this agency maps to the standards
A data-quality lens, not a compliance determination. Each category shows this feed's score and the standards it relates to: the FTA National Transit Database GTFS requirement, the MobilityData grading scheme, and the Google Transit gate. Read the full standards crosswalk.
- Correctness 66 / 100
- GTFS Schedule best practices, checked by the MobilityData validator. MobilityData grading: stop locations, route names and colors. Google Transit: a feed must pass validation to stay in Maps.
- Freshness 60 / 100
- The FTA National Transit Database expectation of a valid, current feed. Google Transit: an expired calendar drops the agency from Maps.
- Rider experience 86 / 100
- GTFS Best Practices for rider-facing fields. MobilityData grading: stop names and headsigns.
- Realtime quality Not yet published
- GTFS-Realtime best practices: a stable URL, high uptime, and frequent updates.
Show your grade
Put a live badge on your agency site or feed README. It updates daily and links back to this scorecard.
Prefer a shields.io style? Point a dynamic endpoint badge at the published badge.json.
Cite this record
This page updates on every check. The record below does not: it is the dated file this grade came from, published at https://gtfsscorecard.org/data/artifacts/southwest-ohio-regional-transit-authority-sorta-metro/2026-07-10.json and never overwritten, pinning the grade, category scores, rubric version, validator version, and the scored feed's sha256 as they stood on 2026-07-10. Use it in a board packet, an NTD narrative, or a research citation instead of linking the live page, whose content will differ on your next visit.
Citing the tool itself rather than one agency's record? Use the repo's CITATION.cff.