TransportAPI MCP. Plan routes and track live arrivals across the UK.
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TransportAPI connects real-time data streams for all major UK public transit services. Your agent can track bus arrivals, plan multi-modal journeys combining rail, tram, and walking, and check service disruptions across Great Britain instantly.
What your AI agents can do
Get bus arrivals
Gets real-time list of incoming bus services, including ETAs and delay status for a specific UK stop.
Get bus departures
Retrieves live departures from all bus lines at a given UK stop ID or location.
Get journey plan
Plans the fastest door-to-door itinerary using any mix of public transport modes across the UK.
Generates complete itineraries combining bus, rail, tram, underground, walking, and cycling legs between any two UK points.
Pulls live ETAs and ETDs for buses at stops or trains at stations across Great Britain.
Checks service status across multiple transport modes, providing active alerts on delays, cancellations, or engineering works.
Finds specific bus stops or rail stations, returning metadata like accessibility features, served lines, and facilities.
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Supported MCP Clients
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TransportAPI: 12 Tools for UK Transit Data
Monitor live arrivals, departures, journey plans, and service status across all major UK transport modes using these specialized tools.
019d7614get bus arrivals
Gets real-time list of incoming bus services, including ETAs and delay status for a specific UK stop.
019d7614get bus departures
Retrieves live departures from all bus lines at a given UK stop ID or location.
019d7614get journey plan
Plans the fastest door-to-door itinerary using any mix of public transport modes across the UK.
019d7614get rail arrivals
Tracks incoming trains at a specific UK rail station, providing ETAs and platform details.
019d7614get rail departures
Lists all scheduled outgoing train services from a given UK rail station in real time.
019d7614get rail route
Calculates the best service options, duration, and changes between two specific UK rail stations.
019d7614get rail services
Lists all train services that call at a station, regardless of their destination or origin.
019d7614get station info
Fetches deep metadata about a rail station, including facilities, accessibility, and operating company details.
019d7614get stop info
Retrieves detailed information on a bus stop, covering served lines, accessibility features, and location data.
019d7614get timetable
Provides the full schedule for a specific UK bus line, detailing patterns for weekdays, weekends, etc.
019d7614get updates
Gathers active alerts and disruption reports across all modes (bus, rail, tram) in Great Britain.
019d7614search stops
Finds UK bus stops by name or location to get the necessary Naptan ID for other queries.
Choose How to Get Started
Build a custom MCP for your own tools, or connect a ready-made integration from our catalog.
Build Your Own
Turn any API into an MCP. Import a spec, define Agent Skills, or deploy with MCPFusion.
- Import from OpenAPI, Swagger, or YAML specs
- Create Agent Skills with progressive disclosure
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- Built in DLP, auth, and compliance on every call
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Make Your AI Do More
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- Use this MCP plus 4,700+ others, all in one place
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- Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more
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What you can do with this MCP connector
Planning Complex Trips Across Great Britain
Your agent doesn't need to juggle separate timetables for buses, trains, or underground lines. It generates full multi-modal itineraries, mapping the fastest door-to-door route between any two points using a combination of bus, rail, tram, walking, and cycling legs. For detailed railway leg planning, you can calculate specific service options, duration estimates, and required changes between any two UK stations with get_rail_route.
Furthermore, if your client just needs to know every train that stops at a station—regardless of where it's going or coming from—you run get_rail_services.
Tracking Live Movement: Buses and Trains
You can pull live data for buses and trains across the entire UK. If you need to know when the next bus is rolling into a specific stop, your agent runs get_bus_arrivals, which delivers real-time ETAs and any delay status. To see every scheduled outgoing bus from a location, it uses get_bus_departures.
Similarly, for trains, tracking is straightforward: you check incoming services at stations with get_rail_arrivals to get platform details and ETAs, or list all departing trains using get_rail_departures. You'll never have to guess when the next vehicle rolls through; the system delivers live movement data for every major stop and station.
Identifying Network Issues
Knowing if things are running late is half the battle. Your agent gathers active alerts and disruption reports across all transport modes—bus, rail, and tram—in Great Britain using get_updates. This tool compiles service status information for delays, cancellations, or scheduled engineering works across the network.
Finding Places and Deep Metadata
Before you plan anything, you need to find the right spot. You can locate any UK bus stop by name or general area with search_stops, which returns the necessary Naptan ID for all other queries. Once you have an ID, your agent pulls deep metadata on that specific bus stop using get_stop_info; this data covers served lines and accessibility features.
For rail stations, it fetches detailed information about the facility itself, including operating company details, accessibility status, and amenities via get_station_info. These tools let you build rich applications around location intelligence.
Scheduling and Full Line Details
If you need more than just a few minutes' notice, your agent can pull out the full schedule for any specific UK bus line using get_timetable, detailing patterns for weekdays versus weekends. For general rail scheduling details, you can list all scheduled outgoing services at a station (get_rail_departures) or fetch deep metadata about the physical location of a train station (get_station_info).
How TransportAPI MCP Works
- 1 First, subscribe to the server and enter your TransportAPI credentials (App ID and App Key).
- 2 Your AI client uses natural language commands like 'Plan a trip from A to B' or 'What buses are leaving X?'
- 3 The agent selects the appropriate tool (
get_journey_plan,get_bus_departures, etc.) and executes it, returning structured data directly to your chat interface.
The bottom line is you get a unified API layer that makes multiple separate transit calls feel like one simple conversation.
Who Is TransportAPI MCP For?
This server is for the Backend Engineer building mobility apps, the Data Scientist modeling urban flow, and the Operations Analyst who needs to build reliable status dashboards. If your job involves any kind of real-time travel data—you need this.
Building microservices that process multi-stage routes or display live departure boards for clients.
Modeling service frequency, analyzing operational performance metrics, or building flow prediction models based on historical/real-time data.
Determining the necessary features for a consumer travel app, specifically around disruption alerts and multimodal planning.
What Changes When You Connect
- Real-time accuracy is key. Instead of relying on static timetables, use
get_bus_arrivalsorget_rail_departuresto get actual ETAs, including delay flags. - It handles complexity automatically. The
get_journey_plantool combines rail, bus, and walking into one itinerary, eliminating the need for multiple API calls. - Context matters. Use
get_station_infoorget_stop_infoto provide facility details (e.g., 'Does this station have step-free access?') that enhance the user experience. - Know what's wrong before planning. The
get_updatestool aggregates disruption alerts across all modes, so your agent can warn users about service changes immediately. - You don't need to search multiple directories. Start with
search_stopsorsearch_stationsto find the required ID, then pass that ID to any of the other tools.
Real-World Use Cases
The Commuter Needs Morning Status
A user needs to know if their train is delayed. Instead of opening National Rail's website and manually checking, they ask their agent: 'Are there any disruptions on the Northern Line today?' The agent calls get_updates first; if clear, it then uses get_rail_departures for specific times.
The Tourist Needs a Multi-Mode Trip
A tourist arrives at Manchester Airport and needs to get downtown. They ask: 'How do I get from the airport to Piccadilly Gardens?' The agent runs get_journey_plan, which returns an optimized route combining a tram ride, a walk, and potentially connecting trains.
The Developer Needs Deep Metadata
Building a public information display for a rail station. The developer uses get_station_info to pull facility data (WiFi, ticket machine count) alongside the live service data from get_rail_services, making the display comprehensive.
The Planner Needs Full Schedule Context
A business analyst needs to understand weekend bus frequency. They ask: 'What times does route 73 run on Sunday?' The agent calls get_timetable rather than just checking the next departure, giving them the full pattern.
The Tradeoffs
Using a general search for live data
A user asks for 'departures from London Victoria.' The developer might try to pass this query directly to get_stop_info and get insufficient metadata.
→
You must use the specialized tools. For real-time departures, call get_bus_departures or get_rail_departures. If you only need facility details, then use get_station_info.
Planning a trip with only two legs
The user knows they take the train and then walk 10 minutes. They might try to combine these manually without telling the agent it's a journey plan.
→
Always use get_journey_plan. This tool handles all mode transitions (walking, tram, bus) and calculates total time, making your life easier.
Assuming static data is enough
Building a display that shows 'next train' based on fixed timetables. This fails immediately when there’s an unexpected delay or cancellation.
→
Always check get_updates first for disruptions, then use the real-time endpoints like get_rail_arrivals to ensure accuracy.
When It Fits, When It Doesn't
Use this server if your core need is knowing where or when public transport services are running in the UK. The key differentiator is scope:
Use this if: You need a door-to-door solution (use get_journey_plan). You need to know current status (use get_updates and then specific arrival/departure tools). You need detailed facility metadata (use get_station_info or get_stop_info).
Don't use this if: Your goal is simply mapping general geographical data, or tracking services outside of the UK network. If you only need to know the schedule pattern for a specific route across all days (and not real-time status), consider using get_timetable specifically. Never rely on static data when live tracking is an option.
Independent Platform Disclaimer: Vinkius is an independent platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, verified by, or otherwise authorized by TransportAPI. All third-party trademarks, logos, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. Their use on this website is strictly for informational purposes to identify service compatibility and interoperability.
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Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more
The Model Context Protocol standardizes how applications expose capabilities to LLMs. Instead of operating in isolation, your AI gains direct access to external platforms, live data, and real-world actions through secure, standardized connections.
This server provides 12 capabilities that interface natively with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and any MCP client. No middleware. No custom integration required.
Available Capabilities
Coordinating travel used to mean checking five different websites.
A developer building a transit app today has to hit multiple APIs: one for TfL buses, another for National Rail trains, and maybe a third for tram data. You spend hours writing code just to normalize time zones, handle differing status codes (is it 'delayed' or 'running late'?), and stitch the resulting JSON blobs together.
With this MCP server, your agent handles all that stitching. Instead of dealing with five separate endpoints, you call `get_journey_plan`, and the server gives back one clean itinerary object—total duration, mode changes, everything included.
The TransportAPI MCP Server provides reliable UK public transit data.
Previously, if a user asked 'What's going on?', you had to query `get_updates`, then call `get_bus_arrivals` for the current stop, and finally check `get_rail_departures`. It was three distinct API calls just to answer one question.
Now, your agent runs all necessary checks internally. You get a single stream of truth. The data you receive is ready for consumption—no more cross-referencing or stitching multiple disparate results together.
Common Questions About TransportAPI MCP
How do I find the stop ID needed for `get_bus_departures`? +
First, run search_stops. This tool lets you search by name or location and returns the Naptan stop ID. You then pass that exact ID to get_bus_departures.
Is `get_journey_plan` better than calling `get_rail_route` and then adding a bus leg? +
get_journey_plan is always better. It's designed for multi-modal trips, calculating the total time from start to finish while combining all necessary steps (train + walk + bus) into one object.
Can I find out if a train station has WiFi using `get_station_info`? +
Yes. The get_station_info tool returns detailed metadata, including facility flags like 'WiFi' and 'step-free access', so you can build features around accessibility.
What if I only want the full schedule for a bus line without worrying about real-time delays? +
Use get_timetable. This tool returns the complete, scheduled pattern (weekday/weekend) for that specific line, giving you historical and planned service data separate from live alerts.
If I call `get_rail_arrivals` but no trains are scheduled, what kind of error message should I expect? +
The system returns a clean list indicating zero results. You won't get an error code; instead, the API response will show an empty array or a status confirming 'no services found at this time.' This lets your agent handle silence gracefully.
Does `get_journey_plan` account for transfers that require crossing between different ticketing zones? +
Yes, the plan accounts for necessary zone crossings. It estimates total journey time and includes a note on expected fare costs or required transfer points when combining bus, rail, and underground legs.
What is the rate limit if I call `get_updates` repeatedly to monitor multiple lines? +
The service enforces standard API rate limits. For high-frequency monitoring, implement backoff logic in your agent code or consider a paid enterprise tier for increased throughput capacity.
Can I use `get_station_info` to find out about facilities other than WiFi and step-free access? +
The tool covers key operational data points. It provides details on ticket office availability, car park status, cycle storage locations, and general accessibility notes for the specific rail station.
Can my AI check when the next bus is arriving at a specific UK bus stop? +
Yes! First use search_stops to find the bus stop by name or location (e.g., "Oxford Street" or "Piccadilly Circus"). This returns the Naptan stop ID. Then use get_bus_departures with that stop ID to see all upcoming departures with expected arrival times, line numbers, destinations, and any delay information. You can also use get_bus_arrivals to monitor incoming services. The API provides real-time predictions based on live vehicle tracking across Great Britain.
How do I plan a complete journey from my hotel to a UK attraction using public transport? +
Use the get_journey_plan tool with your hotel address or postcode as the origin and the attraction name or postcode as the destination. The TransportAPI journey planner will return complete multimodal itineraries combining buses, trains, trams, underground (tube), walking, and cycling with departure times, arrival times, total duration, number of changes, detailed legs with line names and operators, walking distances, and real-time disruption alerts. You can also specify a desired departure or arrival time for time-specific planning.
Can I check if there are any disruptions or engineering works affecting UK rail services? +
Absolutely! Use get_updates to fetch current service alerts and disruption notices across the UK transport network. You can filter by mode ("rail" for trains, "bus" for buses) to get targeted alerts. The results include affected lines or stations, disruption descriptions, severity levels, expected duration, and alternative route recommendations. For station-specific information, use get_rail_departures or get_rail_arrivals which include cancellation and delay indicators for individual services.
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