Fix: trips do not state wheelchair accessibility
Code: scorecard_wheelchair_accessible_unknown
What this means
Your trips.txt does not set wheelchair_accessible for some or all trips, so
the feed says "unknown" for whether the vehicle on that trip can carry a
wheelchair user. Unknown is the default when the field is left blank.
This is the vehicle-side companion to the stop-side check
(scorecard_wheelchair_boarding_unknown).
An accessible stop does not help if the rider cannot tell whether the bus that
serves it is accessible too.
Why it matters
A rider who uses a wheelchair needs to know both ends are covered: a stop they
can board at and a vehicle that can take them. Trip planners do not guess. With
the field blank they show no information, which a rider reads as "do not rely on
this trip." Most small-agency fleets are fully accessible, so leaving the field
blank understates a service the agency already provides.
How to fix it
Set wheelchair_accessible on every trip to 1 (accessible) or 2 (not
accessible). 0 or blank means unknown.
- If your whole fleet is accessible, which is common for small agencies,
this is usually a single default in your export settings rather than a
per-trip edit. Look for a fleet-level or agency-level accessibility default.
- If accessibility varies by vehicle or route, set the field on the trips
that differ. Tools that model vehicles or blocks can often derive the trip
value from the assigned vehicle.
- In a post-export step you can fill
wheelchair_accessibleontrips.txt
directly if your tool has no field for it.
How long it usually takes
Often one default setting in your export, applied on the next run. If
accessibility varies across the fleet it is a short pass to mark the exceptions.