How to read your scorecard
No jargon. Here is what the page is telling you and what to do about it.
What this checks
Transit apps and trip planners read a file your agency publishes, called a GTFS feed. It lists your stops, routes, and schedule. This tool downloads that feed every day, runs the same validator the State and the apps use, and turns the result into a grade and a short list of fixes. It does not look at your buses or your service, only the data file.
The grade blends four things: Correctness (does the data follow the rules), Freshness (is the feed about to expire), Rider experience (are accessibility, fares, and destinations filled in), and Realtime quality (if you publish live arrivals). If you do not publish realtime, that is fine and does not count against you.
What the grades mean
- A Solid. The feed is current and well filled in.
- B Good, with a few optional fields to add.
- C Working, but with real gaps worth fixing.
- D Several gaps; start with the top fix.
- F Usually the feed has expired or is missing required data, so trip planners may have dropped it. This is the urgent one.
Most small and rural feeds we check land between F and B. A grade is a starting point for a conversation, not a verdict on your agency.
What to do
Start at the top of "Top things to fix." We put the most rider-affecting fix first. If your feed has expired, that will be fix number one, because an expired feed is invisible to riders even while your buses run. Each fix says roughly how long it takes. You do not have to do them all; doing the first one and re-publishing is a real win.
If you did not make the feed yourself, the agency or vendor that exports your GTFS is who makes these changes. Hand them the top fix.
What this is not
This is a data-quality lens to help you improve the feed. It is not the official Caltrans or Cal-ITP compliance determination, and a low grade does not mean your service is bad. See the listing and removal policy for how a listing can be corrected or removed.