route_short_name_too_long: GTFS validation rule (routes.txt) Warning
route_short_name exceeds 12 characters: short names should fit on signage and timetables.
What the rule checks
route_short_name exceeds 12 characters: short names should fit on signage and timetables.
Severity: warning
A warning marks data the specification allows but that looks doubtful, or recommended information that is missing. The GTFS can still be published, but riders may see the effect, so each case deserves a look.
Where it applies
The rule applies to routes.txt. This file describes the routes: their names, transport mode and colours.
Finding and correcting it
Open the GTFS in GTFS Express. Reading is free, and the validation, by the MobilityData validator and the rules of GTFS Express itself, lists the occurrences of route_short_name_too_long with the file and rows involved. The correction is made in a draft, by hand or from a brief, with the licence: the corrected GTFS is validated again before it is delivered, and the change can be undone.
In the MobilityData validator
The MobilityData GTFS validator uses the same code, route_short_name_too_long. Its documentation describes each rule: MobilityData validator rules.