Call-prep brief · checked 2026-09-13

Whatcom Transportation Authority

Grade A · 90.4 / 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

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.
Effort: Often a bulk fix in your scheduling software.
Review the flagged fields and fill in the ones your riders would use.
Some files leave out fields that GTFS asks for but does not require. Recommended fields like agency_phone or stop descriptions make the feed more useful to riders and trip planners.
Effort: A field at a time; not urgent.
Add feed_contact_email or feed_contact_url to feed_info.txt.
feed_info.txt lists no contact email and no contact URL. Without a contact, apps like Google Maps can't reach you when they find a problem in the feed.
Effort: One field, set once in export settings.

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: Some rider-facing names are in ALL CAPS or all lowercase.
Next action: Use mixed case for stop names and headsigns (e.g. 'Main St & 2nd Ave', not 'MAIN ST & 2ND AVE').
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: Whatcom Transportation Authority
Finding: mixed_case_recommended_field
Feed evidence: Some rider-facing names are in ALL CAPS or all lowercase.
Why it matters: ALL-CAPS stop and headsign names are harder to read in apps and are read awkwardly by screen readers.
Requested change: Use mixed case for stop names and headsigns (e.g. 'Main St & 2nd Ave', not 'MAIN ST & 2ND AVE').
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/whatcom-transportation-authority/?finding=mixed_case_recommended_field#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 146 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.

The bar this score answers to

A local transit-data support resource is WSDOT Transportation Data. WSDOT builds and publishes GTFS for Washington transit agencies.

Key facts

Feed URL: https://github.com/whatcomtrans/publicwtadata/raw/master/GTFS/wta_gtfs_latest.zip
Last checked: 2026-09-13
Service window: 146 days of service data remain. Last service date 2027-02-06.
Feed version: S1000174+S1000178-merged20260904
Location: Washington

Part of the Washington 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.