Call-prep brief · checked 2026-10-07

Springfield Mass Transit District (SMTD)

Grade B · 80.2 / 100

Unchanged since 2026-10-06.

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

Set wheelchair_accessible on every trip. If every vehicle is accessible, this may be one default; otherwise use the value for each trip.
3335 of 3503 trips don't say whether the vehicle is wheelchair accessible. Even with accessible stops, riders need to know the bus itself can take them.
Fixing this covers 3,335 of 3,503 trips, about 95% of them.
Effort: A default or per-trip field in your export.
Trim leading and trailing spaces on export. The scorecard's auto-fixed copy already does this.
Some values have extra spaces at the start or end. A stray space can break a match, so a stop or route may fail to link across files.
This is a validator notice, and the validator decides what each instance covers, so no share of the network can be read from it here.
Effort: Usually one export setting.
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.
This is a validator notice, and the validator decides what each instance covers, so no share of the network can be read from it here.
Effort: Often a bulk fix in your scheduling software.

Riders and need behind these fixes

This feed carries no National Transit Database ID, so annual rider-trips are not known for it.
No need reading for this feed was on hand when this was built, so transit need is not known.

These describe this feed only. They do not rank agencies, and they do not change the grade or the order of the fixes.

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: 3335 of 3503 trips don't say whether the vehicle is wheelchair accessible.
Next action: Set wheelchair_accessible on every trip. If every vehicle is accessible, this may be one default; otherwise use the value for each trip.
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

Agency: Springfield Mass Transit District (SMTD)
Finding: scorecard_wheelchair_accessible_unknown
Feed evidence: 3335 of 3503 trips don't say whether the vehicle is wheelchair accessible.
Why it matters: Even with accessible stops, riders need to know the bus itself can take them.
Requested change: Set wheelchair_accessible on every trip. If every vehicle is accessible, this may be one default; otherwise use the value for each trip.
Recheck: Publish the changed feed at the same URL. On the next complete, comparable scorecard run, confirm that this finding is no longer reported.
Evidence: https://gtfsscorecard.org/agency/springfield-mass-transit-district-smtd-3187/?finding=scorecard_wheelchair_accessible_unknown#finding-handoff

NTD GTFS readiness: Ready

Published at a public URL, valid, current, and identified with agency_id: the four feed checks for RY2026 all hold here. Only your own D-10 and P-50 filings make 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 87 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): Not checked yet. This feed provides agency_id. For RY2026, keep one stable value for each NTD reporter represented in the feed and crosswalk it on the P-50 form. The value does not need to equal the five-digit NTD ID; we do not have that ID on file, so the optional equality comparison is not checked yet.

Key facts

Feed URL: https://ride.smtd.org/gtfs/smtd_gtfs_feed.zip
Last checked: 2026-10-07
Service window: 87 days of service data remain. Last service date 2027-01-02.
Feed version: S1000206

A data-quality and completeness read to support an agency conversation. Not an official compliance determination. Rubric v1.4, validator 8.0.1.