diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index e35eafc..a91dd02 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -4,4 +4,5 @@ plotly
 requests
 ruff
 pytest
-matplotlib
\ No newline at end of file
+matplotlib
+pandera
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_validation.py b/tests/test_validation.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1dba220
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_validation.py
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+import pandas as pd
+import pandera as pa
+import pytest
+
+from validation import validate_mta_data
+
+
+def test_valid_data():
+    """Test that valid data passes validation."""
+    df = pd.DataFrame(
+        {
+            "date": ["2020-03-01", "2020-03-02"],
+            "subways_total_estimated_ridership": [1000000.0, 1100000.0],
+            "subways_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.5, 0.6],
+            "buses_total_estimated_ridership": [500000.0, 550000.0],
+            "buses_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.6, 0.65],
+            "lirr_total_estimated_ridership": [100000.0, 110000.0],
+            "lirr_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.4, 0.45],
+            "metro_north_total_estimated_ridership": [80000.0, 85000.0],
+            "metro_north_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.35, 0.4],
+            "bridges_and_tunnels_total_traffic": [700000.0, 720000.0],
+            "bridges_and_tunnels_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.9, 0.92],
+        }
+    )
+    result = validate_mta_data(df)
+    assert len(result) == 2
+
+
+def test_negative_ridership_fails():
+    """Test that negative ridership values fail validation."""
+    df = pd.DataFrame(
+        {
+            "date": ["2020-03-01"],
+            "subways_total_estimated_ridership": [-100.0],
+            "subways_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.5],
+            "buses_total_estimated_ridership": [500000.0],
+            "buses_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.6],
+            "lirr_total_estimated_ridership": [100000.0],
+            "lirr_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.4],
+            "metro_north_total_estimated_ridership": [80000.0],
+            "metro_north_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.35],
+            "bridges_and_tunnels_total_traffic": [700000.0],
+            "bridges_and_tunnels_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.9],
+        }
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(pa.errors.SchemaError):
+        validate_mta_data(df)
+
+
+def test_ratio_exceeds_max_fails():
+    """Test that pre-pandemic ratio > 2.0 fails validation."""
+    df = pd.DataFrame(
+        {
+            "date": ["2020-03-01"],
+            "subways_total_estimated_ridership": [1000000.0],
+            "subways_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [3.0],
+            "buses_total_estimated_ridership": [500000.0],
+            "buses_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.6],
+            "lirr_total_estimated_ridership": [100000.0],
+            "lirr_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.4],
+            "metro_north_total_estimated_ridership": [80000.0],
+            "metro_north_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.35],
+            "bridges_and_tunnels_total_traffic": [700000.0],
+            "bridges_and_tunnels_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.9],
+        }
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(pa.errors.SchemaError):
+        validate_mta_data(df)
+
+
+def test_missing_date_fails():
+    """Test that null dates fail validation."""
+    df = pd.DataFrame(
+        {
+            "date": [None],
+            "subways_total_estimated_ridership": [1000000.0],
+            "subways_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.5],
+            "buses_total_estimated_ridership": [500000.0],
+            "buses_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.6],
+            "lirr_total_estimated_ridership": [100000.0],
+            "lirr_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.4],
+            "metro_north_total_estimated_ridership": [80000.0],
+            "metro_north_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.35],
+            "bridges_and_tunnels_total_traffic": [700000.0],
+            "bridges_and_tunnels_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": [0.9],
+        }
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(pa.errors.SchemaError):
+        validate_mta_data(df)
diff --git a/validation.py b/validation.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..90cb567
--- /dev/null
+++ b/validation.py
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+import pandera as pa
+
+# Schema for MTA Daily Ridership Data
+mta_schema = pa.DataFrameSchema(
+    {
+        "date": pa.Column(
+            pa.DateTime,
+            nullable=False,
+            checks=pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to("2020-03-01"),
+            description="Date of ridership record, starting from March 2020",
+        ),
+        "subways_total_estimated_ridership": pa.Column(
+            float,
+            nullable=True,
+            checks=pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to(0),
+            description="Total estimated subway ridership",
+        ),
+        "subways_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": pa.Column(
+            float,
+            nullable=True,
+            checks=[
+                pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to(0),
+                pa.Check.less_than_or_equal_to(2.0),
+            ],
+            description="Subway ridership as ratio of pre-pandemic levels (0 to 2.0)",
+        ),
+        "buses_total_estimated_ridership": pa.Column(
+            float,
+            nullable=True,
+            checks=pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to(0),
+            description="Total estimated bus ridership",
+        ),
+        "buses_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": pa.Column(
+            float,
+            nullable=True,
+            checks=[
+                pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to(0),
+                pa.Check.less_than_or_equal_to(2.0),
+            ],
+            description="Bus ridership as ratio of pre-pandemic levels",
+        ),
+        "lirr_total_estimated_ridership": pa.Column(
+            float,
+            nullable=True,
+            checks=pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to(0),
+            description="Total estimated LIRR ridership",
+        ),
+        "lirr_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": pa.Column(
+            float,
+            nullable=True,
+            checks=[
+                pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to(0),
+                pa.Check.less_than_or_equal_to(2.0),
+            ],
+            description="LIRR ridership as ratio of pre-pandemic levels",
+        ),
+        "metro_north_total_estimated_ridership": pa.Column(
+            float,
+            nullable=True,
+            checks=pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to(0),
+            description="Total estimated Metro-North ridership",
+        ),
+        "metro_north_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": pa.Column(
+            float,
+            nullable=True,
+            checks=[
+                pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to(0),
+                pa.Check.less_than_or_equal_to(2.0),
+            ],
+            description="Metro-North ridership as ratio of pre-pandemic levels",
+        ),
+        "bridges_and_tunnels_total_traffic": pa.Column(
+            float,
+            nullable=True,
+            checks=pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to(0),
+            description="Total bridges and tunnels traffic",
+        ),
+        "bridges_and_tunnels_of_comparable_pre_pandemic_day": pa.Column(
+            float,
+            nullable=True,
+            checks=[
+                pa.Check.greater_than_or_equal_to(0),
+                pa.Check.less_than_or_equal_to(2.0),
+            ],
+            description="B&T traffic as ratio of pre-pandemic levels",
+        ),
+    },
+    coerce=True,
+)
+
+
+def validate_mta_data(df):
+    """Validate MTA ridership dataframe against schema."""
+    return mta_schema.validate(df)