MTA Transit MCP. Track every bus, train, and rail movement in NYC.
MTA MCP gives your AI client direct access to New York City's entire public transit network. You can track subway trains, buses, and commuter rails in real-time, check for service disruptions across all lines (LIRR, Metro-North), and get accurate arrival predictions instantly. It’s the single source of truth for NYC travel planning.
Give Claude and any AI agent real-world access
Check for active disruptions across the entire MTA system, including buses, subways, LIRR, and Metro-North.
Get live train positions and arrival predictions for every major NYC Subway line.
Determine exactly when the next bus is expected to arrive, or track multiple routes approaching one specific spot.
View the current GPS positions of every active bus on the road across NYC.
Get real-time status and arrival predictions for both LIRR and Metro-North trains into Manhattan.
List all NYC Subway stations, including their coordinates and borough information.
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What AI agents can do with MTA MCP Catalog (12 Tools)
Use these 12 tools to retrieve specific data points like vehicle positions, arrival predictions, or service disruption details across the MTA network.
Make your AI actually useful.
Add this MCP to Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf and your AI stops guessing. It gets real tools to look things up, take action, and handle the stuff you keep doing by hand.
Start using MTA MCPGet Bus Estimated Arrival
Predicts when buses will arrive at a stop, optionally filtering results by the specific route number.
Get Bus Predictions
Provides real-time predictions for next bus arrivals at any given bus stop location.
Get Bus Routes
Lists all active MTA bus routes serving the city, including their names and service...
Get Bus Stops
Retrieves a list of all physical bus stops for any specified route, giving...
Get Bus Vehicle At Stop
Tracks buses that are currently at or approaching a specific stop with estimated...
Get Bus Vehicles
Gets the real-time GPS coordinates and status of all active MTA bus vehicles across NYC.
Get Lirr Feed
Retrieves live tracking, delays, and arrival predictions for Long Island Rail Road trains.
Get Metro North Feed
Provides real-time tracking and service updates for Metro-North Railroad commuter...
Get Service Alerts
Checks the current status of major disruptions, maintenance, or incidents across all...
Get Stations
Lists detailed information on every NYC Subway station, including its borough and...
Get Subway Feed
Gathers live train positions, delays, and arrival data for specific major subway...
Get System Time
Returns the official MTA system timestamp to verify API connection integrity.
Security and governance baked right in.
Pick your AI client below to get set up. Just create a Vinkius account, subscribe, and you're instantly up and running. We handle the entire backend infrastructure, delivering out-of-the-box support for HTTPS Streamable, SSE, and OAuth2—zero messy routing required.
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
- Deploy to edge with MCPFusion framework
- Built in DLP, auth, and compliance on each call
- Real time usage dashboard and cost metering
- Publish to catalog or keep private
Make Your AI Do More
Start with MTA, then connect any of our 5,200+ other servers whenever your AI needs more. One click, no limits.
- Use this MCP plus 5,200+ others, all in one place
- Add new capabilities to your AI anytime you want
- Connections are secured and governed automatically
- Track usage and costs across all your servers
- Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more
- New servers added to the catalog weekly
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Checking NYC Transit Used To Be a Messy Chore
Today, figuring out your commute means opening half a dozen tabs: checking Google Maps for bus routes, going to the LIRR site for commuter delays, and maybe looking at the MTA website just to see if there's an alert on the subway. You're cross-referencing schedules, manually copy-pasting station names, and spending time figuring out which data source is up to date.
With this MCP, you tell your agent what you need—say, 'How will I get from Brooklyn to Harlem?' The AI client handles the coordination. It checks for service issues using `get_service_alerts`, estimates bus arrival times with `get_bus_predictions`, and even tracks if the train is running late via `get_subway_feed`. You just get one reliable answer.
MTA MCP Gives You Full Visibility into All NYC Transit Movements
You no longer have to manually track down the right data set. Instead of running separate queries for LIRR positions and Metro-North positions, you simply ask your agent to monitor both feeds using `get_lirr_feed` and `get_metro_north_feed`. The system handles the complexity.
The difference is control. You move from passively viewing schedules to actively predicting movements, knowing exactly when a bus will pull into your stop via `get_bus_vehicle_at_stop`.
What MTA Transit MCP does for your AI
Your AI client now acts as a dedicated transit analyst for New York City. Instead of juggling multiple websites or opening separate apps to check subway status, bus arrivals, and commuter train delays, you talk to your agent once. This MCP connects your AI client to all the real-time data sources used by MTA—from tracking every active bus vehicle to monitoring major commuter lines like LIRR and Metro-North.
It pulls live feed data for all NYC Subway lines, tracks specific buses at stops, and gives you immediate service alerts if anything is wrong with any part of the system. Using this through Vinkius makes your AI client a true trip planner that understands complex rail and bus schedules.
You get accurate arrival predictions, even knowing which route (local vs. express) is coming next.
019d75d9-551d-7319-b252-ed7f0b5c23fc How to set up MTA Transit MCP
The bottom line is you get accurate, immediate answers about NYC transit without needing to open any separate transit app.
Subscribe to this MCP on Vinkius and input your MTA API key.
Connect your AI client (Claude, Cursor, etc.) to the catalog using your credentials.
Ask your agent a specific transit question—for example, 'What are the delays on the LIRR' or 'When does the next M15 bus arrive at 34th Street?'
Who uses MTA Transit MCP
Anyone who relies on predictable movement in New York City—from tourists getting lost at 2 AM to logistics managers planning cross-borough transfers. If your job involves knowing where a vehicle is right now, you need this.
Uses the MCP to check service alerts and track LIRR or subway trains before leaving home, ensuring they aren't caught by an unexpected delay.
Requests a list of all stations in Manhattan or checks real-time bus predictions for groups needing to navigate the city on foot.
Monitors specific MTA bus routes and tracks vehicles system-wide to estimate delivery windows near major transit hubs.
Benefits of connecting MTA Transit MCP
Avoid manual checks by asking for service alerts; the get_service_alerts tool immediately tells you if LIRR or subway lines are experiencing major delays.
Pinpoint exact arrivals: Instead of guessing, use get_bus_predictions to know exactly when the next bus is coming to your specific stop.
See the full network picture by using get_bus_routes to list every service area and then pinpointing stops with get_bus_stops.
Track trains across all modes: Monitor subway movements using get_subway_feed, while simultaneously checking commuter rail status via get_lirr_feed or get_metro_north_feed.
Know where vehicles are right now: Use get_bus_vehicles to see the system-wide positions of every active bus, not just those near you.
MTA Transit MCP use cases
Planning a cross-borough commute
A user asks their agent for travel plans from Queens to the Upper West Side. The agent first uses get_service_alerts to check for weekend maintenance, then uses get_subway_feed to predict arrival times on the 4/5/6 line, and finally checks get_bus_predictions if a bus connection is needed.
Managing a field crew visit
A manager needs to know where several buses are in relation to an event. They run get_bus_vehicles and then use get_bus_stops to find the closest official boarding points for their staff, ensuring no one is left stranded.
Diagnosing a service failure
A transit analyst asks, 'Why are buses running slow today?' The agent checks get_bus_vehicles to see cluster density and then runs get_service_alerts to correlate the delay with known incidents.
Guiding a tourist through the system
A tourist asks for the nearest train. The agent uses get_stations to list nearby stations, checks get_subway_feed for real-time status on that specific line, and provides immediate directions.
MTA Transit MCP tradeoffs
What to watch out for, and the recommended way to handle each one.
Asking only about 'delays'
I just want to know if MTA is delayed today.
Don't ask generally. Always specify the mode and line by using get_service_alerts first, then follow up with specific data like running get_lirr_feed or get_subway_feed for precise status.
Assuming bus routes are simple
List all buses that go near Times Square.
First, use get_bus_stops to find the exact stop ID near Times Square. Then, run get_bus_predictions with that specific ID for accurate results.
Confusing system scope
Does this cover all trains in NYC?
This MCP separates data by type: use get_subway_feed for subway lines, and use get_lirr_feed or get_metro_north_feed for the commuter rails. You need to call different tools for different rail types.
When to use MTA Transit MCP
Use this MCP if your goal is real-time operational intelligence about NYC transit movement. Specifically, you need to know when a vehicle will arrive or if there's an active disruption on a named line. If you only need static geographical data (like the coordinates of every subway station), get_stations handles that perfectly. However, if your task is simply 'What are my options?' and not 'When do those options run?', then relying solely on general map or directions APIs might be enough. Don't use this if you just need a list of all MTA bus routes; instead, start by running get_bus_routes to get the IDs needed for subsequent queries.
Frequently asked questions about MTA Transit MCP
Does the MTA MCP cover all NYC Subway lines? +
Yes. The get_subway_feed tool supports major subway lines by their feed ID, providing real-time status for most of the system.
How do I find a bus stop ID to use with get_bus_predictions? +
Use the get_bus_stops tool. This function lists all stops for any given MTA bus route and provides the required unique Stop IDs.
Can this MCP track buses system-wide or just near me? +
It handles both. You can check every vehicle's location using get_bus_vehicles, or narrow it down to specific approaching vehicles with get_bus_vehicle_at_stop.
Is the LIRR data separate from subway data in MTA MCP? +
Yes. The system keeps commuter rail and subway data distinct. Use get_lirr_feed for Long Island Rail Road status, and get_subway_feed for underground trains.
What if I just need to know the total number of stations? +
You can run get_stations. This tool returns a complete list of all NYC Subway station records, giving you the necessary count and geographic details.