Service standards reporting

A service standards report you can rerun when the schedule changes.

Marga checks the scheduled headways in your GTFS feed against your agency's configured standards, and shows the target, calculation, and source behind every result.

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Use it for

  • Recurring standards reporting
  • Board decision evidence
  • Documenting service needs
  • Repeatable performance review

Each service type, checked against its own standard.

Service Standards Report

Example Transit Network

17 of 64 weekday routes are over an applicable headway target in the AM review window.

60 mapped to service types · 4 not assigned

Standards partially configured
AM review window
06:00–09:00
Configured review window
64 weekday routes reviewed
Service type
Frequent
12 routes
Standard
15 min
Scheduled result
5 over2 tolerance5 meet
Service type
Rapid
6 routes
Standard
15 min
Scheduled result
2 over1 tolerance3 meet
Service type
Local
20 routes
Standard
30 min
Scheduled result
6 over3 tolerance11 meet
Service type
Coverage
8 routes
Standard
60 min
Scheduled result
2 over1 tolerance5 meet
3 more service types · 10 routesShown in the full report
Not headway-graded 4No target set 4
Over targetWithin toleranceMeets target

Source
Illustrative example · fictional route counts and results

Marga
trymarga.com

This example uses fictional route counts and results to demonstrate the report structure. It is not an assessment of any transit agency.

Route-level detail

Routes behind the network result

Routes over their AM targets, ordered for review—not investment priority. Full reports include the scheduled departures behind each gap.

  1. Route F12· Frequent
    Riverfront - Central Station
    +18 min
    33 min gap · 15 min standard · 06:42–07:15 · Mon, Jun 8

    1 of 9 gaps above the 15-minute target

  2. Route R4· Rapid
    Eastside Rapid
    +16 min
    31 min gap · 15 min standard · 07:04–07:35 · Mon, Jun 8

    1 of 9 gaps above the 15-minute target

  3. Route L27· Local
    Northside - Civic Center
    +22 min
    52 min gap · 30 min standard · 06:18–07:10 · Mon, Jun 8

    1 of 3 gaps above the 30-minute target

  4. Route C8· Coverage
    Valley Connector
    +12 min
    72 min gap · 60 min standard · 06:48–08:00 · Mon, Jun 8

    1 of 2 gaps above the 60-minute target

Showing 4 of 17 over-target routes in this illustrative AM review.Difference = scheduled gap minus the applicable configured standard.

Real public NTD data

Put cost comparisons in context.

Compare agencies in the same reporting year, mode and operating arrangement. Inspect cost per boarding alongside distance traveled.

Independent Marga analysis of public NTD data. Not produced, reviewed or endorsed by Golden Gate Transit or SF Muni.

Try this comparison

Explore the comparison, then ask your own question. No sign-up needed.

Selected agencies

2024 · Motor bus (MB) · Directly operated only

Comparisons: Golden Gate Transit relative to SF Muni.

Operating cost per boarding
9.9×
Golden Gate Transit$65.34
SF Muni$6.59
Operating expenses ÷ boardings
Average miles per boarding
6.8×
Golden Gate Transit14.8 mi
SF Muni2.2 mi
Passenger miles ÷ boardings
Operating cost per passenger-mile
45% higher
Golden Gate Transit$4.42
SF Muni$3.04
Operating expenses ÷ passenger miles

Selected agencies, not a matched peer group. Agency-reported passenger miles, which may be estimated. Distance is per unlinked boarding, not a complete journey with transfers. Changing the denominator does not establish why costs differ.

Source: NTD 2024 Annual Metrics.

View reported totals and method

Cost per boarding = operating expenses / unlinked passenger trips. Miles per boarding = passenger miles / unlinked passenger trips. Cost per passenger-mile = operating expenses / passenger miles. Each measure uses totals from one matched NTD row. Relative measures compare the first agency with the second, using unrounded values.

Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District · NTD 90016
Operating expenses
$93,589,060
Unlinked boardings
1,432,232
Passenger miles
21,194,234
City and County of San Francisco, dba: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency · NTD 90015
Operating expenses
$513,444,763
Unlinked boardings
77,857,337
Passenger miles
168,811,279

From finding to evidence

A finding is the start of the review.

01

Inspect the schedule

See the exact GTFS interval behind a result.

02

Add context

Review ridership, Census, access, and operating evidence.

03

Keep the record

Preserve sources, assumptions, methods, and limits.

Same inputs, same result. AI explains the analysis; it does not calculate it.

Your service standards

Ready to make the next performance review repeatable?

Start with your current GTFS feed and configured headway standards. Marga keeps the report traceable and makes ridership, Census, economics, and selected NTD context available when a finding needs further review.

Standards not yet organized? Marga can inventory published policy and identify what still requires agency confirmation. Suggested targets are never treated as agency standards automatically.

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