TransportAPI MCP Server for Claude Desktop 12 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Claude Desktop is Anthropic's native application for interacting with Claude AI models on macOS and Windows. It was the first consumer application to ship with built-in MCP support, making it the reference implementation for the Model Context Protocol standard.
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The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install TransportAPI and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"transportapi": {
// Your Vinkius token. get it at cloud.vinkius.com
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About TransportAPI MCP Server
Connect your TransportAPI UK public transport data platform to any AI agent and take full control of real-time bus and rail tracking, multimodal journey planning, and service disruption monitoring across Great Britain through natural conversation.
Claude Desktop is the definitive way to connect TransportAPI to your AI workflow. Add Vinkius Edge URL to your config, restart the app, and Claude immediately exposes all 12 tools in the chat interface. ask a question, Claude calls the right tool, and you see the answer. Zero code, zero context switching.
What you can do
- Real-Time Bus Tracking — Check upcoming departures and arrivals at any UK bus stop with ETAs and delay indicators
- Rail Services — Monitor train arrivals, departures, and services at any UK rail station
- Journey Planning — Plan door-to-door multimodal trips combining bus, rail, tram, underground, walking, and cycling
- Stop Discovery — Search UK bus stops by name, address, or landmark with Naptan identifiers
- Route Analysis — Get train route information between any two UK rail stations with calling points
- Service Updates — Check real-time disruption alerts and operational notices across UK transport networks
- Bus Timetables — Access complete timetables for any UK bus line with weekday/weekend patterns
- Station Information — Get detailed UK rail station data including facilities, accessibility, and managing TOCs
- Stop Details — Retrieve comprehensive bus stop information with served lines and accessibility features
The TransportAPI MCP Server exposes 12 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Claude Desktop in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect TransportAPI to Claude Desktop via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the TransportAPI MCP Server with Claude Desktop.
Open Claude Desktop Settings
Go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config to open claude_desktop_config.json
Add the MCP Server
Paste the configuration above into the mcpServers section
Restart Claude Desktop
Close and reopen Claude Desktop to load the new server
Start using TransportAPI
Look for the 🔌 icon in the chat. your 12 tools are now available
Why Use Claude Desktop with the TransportAPI MCP Server
Claude Desktop by Anthropic provides unique advantages when paired with TransportAPI through the Model Context Protocol.
Claude Desktop is the reference MCP client. it was designed alongside the protocol itself, ensuring the most complete and stable MCP implementation available
Zero-code configuration: add a server URL to a JSON file and Claude instantly discovers and exposes all available tools in the chat interface
Claude's extended thinking capability lets it reason through multi-step tool usage, chaining multiple API calls to answer complex questions
Enterprise-grade security with local config storage. your tokens never leave your machine, and connections go directly to Vinkius Edge network
TransportAPI + Claude Desktop Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Claude Desktop combined with the TransportAPI MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Interactive data exploration: ask Claude to query DNS records, look up WHOIS data, and cross-reference results in a single conversation
Ad-hoc security audits: type a domain name and let Claude enumerate subdomains, check DNS history, and flag configuration anomalies. all through natural language
Executive briefings: generate comprehensive domain intelligence reports by asking Claude to compile findings into a formatted summary
Learning and training: new team members can explore API capabilities conversationally without needing to read documentation
TransportAPI MCP Tools for Claude Desktop (12)
These 12 tools become available when you connect TransportAPI to Claude Desktop via MCP:
get_bus_arrivals
Returns list of arriving services with line names and numbers, origins, scheduled and real-time arrival times (ETA), expected wait times, direction, operator details, and any delay indicators. Essential for passenger pickup coordination, arrival monitoring, and real-time arrival boards. AI agents use this when users ask "when is the next bus arriving at this stop", "show incoming buses at stop X", or need to track arriving bus services for passenger coordination. Get real-time bus arrivals at a specific UK stop
get_bus_departures
Returns list of departing services with line names and numbers, destinations, scheduled and real-time departure times (ETD), expected wait times, direction, operator details, and any service disruption notices. Covers all bus services across Great Britain including London Buses, Transport for Greater Manchester, West Midlands, and regional operators. Essential for passenger information displays, departure boards, journey planning, and real-time transit monitoring. AI agents should reference this when users ask "when is the next bus from this stop", "show departures from stop ID X", or need to monitor upcoming bus services at a known UK bus stop. Get real-time bus departures from a specific stop in the UK
get_journey_plan
Supports multimodal trips combining bus, rail, tram, underground (tube), walking, and cycling. Returns complete itinerary with departure and arrival times, total duration, number of changes, legs with mode details (line name, operator, vehicle type), intermediate stops/stations, walking distances, and real-time disruption information. Essential for travel planning, multimodal journey optimization, passenger information systems, and UK-wide mobility applications. AI agents should use this when users ask "how do I get from London Victoria to Heathrow Airport", "plan a journey from Manchester Piccadilly to Old Trafford", or need door-to-door trip planning across UK public transport. Plan a multimodal journey between two UK locations
get_rail_arrivals
Returns list of arriving services with train operating companies, origins, scheduled and real-time arrival times (ETA), platforms, expected delays, cancellation status, and service type information. Covers all National Rail services. Essential for passenger pickup coordination, arrival monitoring, station management, and real-time arrival boards. AI agents use this when users ask "what trains are arriving at Kings Cross", "show incoming trains at Manchester Piccadilly", or need to track arriving rail services. Get real-time train arrivals at a specific UK rail station
get_rail_departures
Returns list of departing services with train operating companies, destinations, scheduled and real-time departure times (ETD), platforms, expected delays, cancellation status, calling points, and service type (express, local, sleeper). Covers all National Rail services across Great Britain. Essential for departure boards, journey planning, station operations, and passenger information. AI agents should use this when users ask "what trains are leaving Paddington", "show departures from Birmingham New Street", or need comprehensive departure listings for a UK rail station. Get real-time train departures from a specific UK rail station
get_rail_route
Returns available services, journey duration, number of changes, calling points, train operating companies, typical frequency, and first/last service times. Essential for rail journey planning, route comparison, travel itinerary preparation, and understanding rail connectivity. AI agents should reference this when users ask "what is the train route from London to Manchester", "show rail connections between Edinburgh and Glasgow", or need to understand rail service options between two UK stations. Get train route information between two UK rail stations
get_rail_services
Returns services with train operating companies (TOCs), destinations, origins, scheduled times, platforms, service types (express, local, sleeper), and any disruption information. Covers National Rail services across Great Britain. Essential for station information displays, service monitoring, rail journey planning, and operational awareness. AI agents should reference this when users ask "what services call at Euston", "show all trains at Edinburgh Waverley", or need comprehensive service listings for a UK rail station. Get all train services calling at a specific UK rail station
get_station_info
Returns station name, location (address, latitude, longitude), facilities (ticket office, ticket machines, waiting room, car park, cycle storage, WiFi, step-free access), staffing hours, managing train operating company, annual entry/exit statistics, and accessibility information. Essential for station planning, accessibility assessment, facility verification, and passenger information. AI agents should use this when users ask "tell me about Clapham Junction station", "does Euston have step-free access", or need detailed station metadata for UK rail journey planning. Get detailed information about a specific UK rail station
get_stop_info
Returns stop name, location (latitude, longitude, address, locality, landmark), common services, served lines, stop type (bus stop, bus station, coach station), accessibility features (wheelchair access, sheltered, seating), and operator information. Essential for stop identification, accessibility planning, transit network analysis, and passenger information. AI agents should use this when users ask "tell me about this bus stop", "what lines serve stop X", or need detailed stop metadata to contextualize transit queries. Get detailed information about a specific UK bus stop
get_timetable
Returns all scheduled services with departure times from origin through to terminus, stops served in sequence, journey duration variations by time of day, weekday/weekend/holiday service patterns, operator information, and any planned service changes. Essential for comprehensive schedule analysis, journey planning at specific times, service pattern research, and understanding bus frequency throughout the day. AI agents use this when users ask "show me the full timetable for bus route 73", "what times does the X59 run on Sundays", or need complete schedule data for a UK bus service. Get full timetable for a specific UK bus line
get_updates
Returns active alerts with affected lines, services, or operators, disruption descriptions, severity levels, expected duration, alternative route recommendations, and timestamps. Covers bus, rail, tram, and underground services across Great Britain. Essential for disruption awareness, passenger communication, journey reliability monitoring, and travel planning during service changes. AI agents should reference this when users ask "are there any disruptions on the Northern Line", "is there engineering work on Great Western Railway", or need to check service reliability before planning UK journeys. Get real-time service updates and disruption alerts for UK transport
search_stops
Returns matching stops with Naptan stop IDs, names, locations (latitude, longitude), served lines, localities, and stop types. Essential for stop discovery, journey planning interfaces, transit stop identification, and building location-based transit features. AI agents should use this when users ask "find the bus stop near Oxford Street", "search for stops called Piccadilly", or need to identify Naptan stop IDs for use in departure/arrival queries. Search for UK bus stops by name, location, or landmark
Example Prompts for TransportAPI in Claude Desktop
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Claude Desktop agent to start working with TransportAPI immediately.
"Show me all bus departures from Oxford Circus in the next 30 minutes."
"What trains are departing from London Paddington to Bristol in the next 2 hours?"
"Plan a journey from Manchester Airport to the city centre using public transport."
Troubleshooting TransportAPI MCP Server with Claude Desktop
Common issues when connecting TransportAPI to Claude Desktop through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not appearing after restart
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\\Claude\\ (Windows).Authentication error
Tools not showing in chat
TransportAPI + Claude Desktop FAQ
Common questions about integrating TransportAPI MCP Server with Claude Desktop.
How does Claude Desktop discover MCP tools?
claude_desktop_config.json file and connects to each configured MCP server. It calls the tools/list endpoint to fetch the schema for every available tool, then surfaces them as clickable options in the chat interface via the 🔌 icon.What happens if the MCP server is temporarily unavailable?
Can I connect multiple MCP servers simultaneously?
mcpServers section of the config file. Each server appears as a separate tool provider, and Claude can use tools from multiple servers in a single conversation turn.Is there a limit on the number of tools per server?
Does Claude Desktop support Streamable HTTP transport?
Connect TransportAPI with your favorite client
Step-by-step setup guides for every MCP-compatible client and framework:
Anthropic's native desktop app for Claude with built-in MCP support.
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GitHub Copilot in VS Code with Agent mode and MCP support.
Purpose-built IDE for agentic AI coding workflows.
Autonomous AI coding agent that runs inside VS Code.
Anthropic's agentic CLI for terminal-first development.
Python SDK for building production-grade OpenAI agent workflows.
Google's framework for building production AI agents.
Type-safe agent development for Python with first-class MCP support.
TypeScript toolkit for building AI-powered web applications.
TypeScript-native agent framework for modern web stacks.
Python framework for orchestrating collaborative AI agent crews.
Leading Python framework for composable LLM applications.
Data-aware AI agent framework for structured and unstructured sources.
Microsoft's framework for multi-agent collaborative conversations.
Connect TransportAPI to Claude Desktop
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 12 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.