How do I use openbusdata?

1. Click on "Deploy Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@openbusdata Plan a journey from London Victoria to Paddington" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

openbusdata

by AndrewAubury

Overview Schema Source Related Servers Discussions Admin

Python

Remote

OpenBusData MCP Server

mcp-name: io.github.AndrewAubury/openbusdata

MCP server for the UK Bus Open Data Service with rich timetable parsing, stop search, route discovery, journey planning and real-time bus tracking.

Features

Live API tools — query timetables, fares, disruptions, cancellations and real-time bus locations
Stop search — fuzzy text search across every bus stop in the UK
Route finder — discover all routes serving a pair of stops
Journey planner — "get to X by Y o'clock" with support for direct and chained multi-leg journeys
Live tracking — see exactly where buses are right now

Related MCP server: BVG MCP Server

Installation

Option 1: via `uvx` (recommended — no install needed)

uvx openbusdata-mcp

Option 2: via `pip`

pip install openbusdata-mcp

Configuration

Set your Bus Open Data Service API key as an environment variable:

export OPENBUS_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Get a free key at data.bus-data.dft.gov.uk.

Usage

With `uvx` (recommended)

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openbusdata": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["openbusdata-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "OPENBUS_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

With `pip` install

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openbusdata": {
      "command": "openbusdata-mcp",
      "env": {
        "OPENBUS_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Development

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # or .venv\Scripts\activate on Windows

# Install dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run server
python -m openbusdata_mcp.server

License

MIT

Available Tools

16 tools

Data_set_api_v1_fares_datasetC

Returns all fares datasets

Parameters: noc: Operators can operate using a single National Operator Code (NOC) or have multiple NOCs associated. Download the data catalogue to see the relationship between operators and NOCs within the service. To limit results to operators associated with multiple NOCs, input a comma separated list of the relevant NOCs. status: Limit results to data sets with the specified status string, accepted values are published, inactive. boundingBox: Limit results to fares data sets that contain information for the area within the rectangular boundingBox you set using co-ordinates. [minLatitude, maxLatitude, minLongitude, maxLongitude]. The default values shown are for the Liverpool area. limit: The maximum number of records to return. The default value shown is 25. offset: Return results that match the query starting from the specified offset. e.g. If the offset=10 and limit=25, then results from 11 to 35 will be returned The default value shown is 0.

Inputs: kwargs (required). Returns: result

Data_set_api_v1_fares_dataset_by_datasetIDB

Returns a single dataset

Parameters: datasetID (required): Limit results to a specific data set of a publisher using the data set ID.

Inputs: kwargs (required). Returns: result

find_buses_by_arrival_timeA

Find scheduled buses that board at stop_a and arrive at stop_b by the given time.

Parameters: stop_a: Boarding stop (NaPTAN code or name). stop_b: Alighting stop (NaPTAN code or name). arrive_by: Target arrival time (HH:MM, 24h format). day: Optional day filter: mon, tue, wed, thu, fri, sat, sun. Defaults to today.

Inputs: stop_a (required), stop_b (required), arrive_by (required), day. Returns: result

find_routes_between_stopsA

Find all bus routes that serve BOTH of the given stops. Stops can be specified by NaPTAN code or by name.

Parameters: stop_a: First stop (NaPTAN code or name substring). stop_b: Second stop (NaPTAN code or name substring).

Inputs: stop_a (required), stop_b (required). Returns: result

get_live_buses_on_routeA

Get real-time bus locations for a specific operator and route.

Parameters: operator_ref: Operator NOC code (e.g. ARBB, SCCM, CBBH). line_ref: Route number (e.g. 12, MK1, 100).

Inputs: line_ref (required), operator_ref (required). Returns: result

get_route_stopsA

Get the full ordered list of stops for a specific bus route.

Parameters: operator: Operator name (exact or partial match). route: Route number/identifier. direction: Optional filter: 'inbound', 'outbound', or leave blank for all.

Inputs: route (required), operator (required), direction. Returns: result

GTFS_RT_Data_feed_api_v1_gtfsrtdatafeedD

Returns all published datafeeds

Inputs: kwargs (required). Returns: result

load_timetable_indexA

Download and index all accessible timetable datasets. Call this first if stop/route search tools return no results.

Parameters: force_refresh: If true, re-download all data instead of using cache.

Inputs: force_refresh. Returns: result

plan_journeyA

Plan a journey from stop_a to stop_b arriving by a given time. Supports direct routes and single changes.

Parameters: stop_a: Starting stop (NaPTAN code or name). stop_b: Destination stop (NaPTAN code or name). arrive_by: Target arrival time (HH:MM, 24h format). day: Optional day filter: mon, tue, wed, thu, fri, sat, sun. Defaults to today. max_changes: Maximum number of bus changes (0 = direct only, 1 = one change). Default 1.

Inputs: stop_a (required), stop_b (required), arrive_by (required), day, +1 more. Returns: result

search_stopsA

Search for bus stops by name across all loaded timetable data. Returns matching stops with their NaPTAN codes.

Parameters: query: Substring to search for in stop names (case-insensitive).

Inputs: query (required). Returns: result

SIRI_SX_Cancellations_siri_sx_cancellationsD

Returns all cancellations

Parameters:

Inputs: kwargs (required). Returns: result

SIRI_SX_Disruptions_siri_sxC

Returns all disruptions

Parameters:

Inputs: kwargs (required). Returns: result

SIRI_VM_Data_feed_api_v1_datafeedA

Returns all published datafeeds

Parameters: boundingBox: Limit results to bus location data with vehicle position within the rectangular boundingBox you set using co-ordinates. [minLongitude, minLatitude, maxLongitude, maxLatitude]. The default values shown are for the Liverpool area. operatorRef: Limit results to bus location data with the specified operatorRef. The National Operator Code is often used as the input for operatorRef. Comma separated list of values can be used for querying. vehicleRef: Limit results to bus location data with the specified vehicleRef. lineRef: Limit results to bus location data with the specified lineRef. producerRef: Limit results to bus location data with the specified producerRef. originRef: Limit results to bus location data with the specified originRef. destinationRef: Limit results to bus location data with the specified destinationRef.

Inputs: kwargs (required). Returns: result

SIRI_VM_Data_feed_api_v1_datafeed_by_datafeedIDC

Returns a single datafeed

Parameters: datafeedID (required): Limit results to a specific data feed of a publisher using the data feed ID.

Inputs: kwargs (required). Returns: result

timetables_api_v1_datasetC

Returns all timetables

Parameters: adminArea: Limit results to datasets with services that stop within the specified area(s). The adminAreas entered will be inserted into a comma delimited query in the API. noc: Limit results to data sets published by an operator identified by the specified National Operator Code (NOC). The NOCs entered will be inserted into a comma delimited query in the API. limit: The maximum number of records to return. The default value shown is 25. offset: Return results that match the query starting from the specified offset e.g. If the offset=10 and limit=25, then results from 11 to 35 will be returned. The default value shown is 0. search: Return data sets where the data set name, data set description, organisation name, or admin area name contain the specified value. status: Limit results to data sets with the specified status. endDateStart: Limit results to data sets with services with end dates after this date. endDateEnd: Limit results to data sets with services with end dates before this date. modifiedDate: Limit results to data sets that have been created/updated since the specified date. startDateStart: Limit results to data sets with services with start dates after this date. startDateEnd: Limit results to data sets with services with start dates before this date. dqRag: Limit results to data sets with the specified String. bodsCompliance: Limit results to data sets with the specified boolean value.

Inputs: kwargs (required). Returns: result

timetables_api_v1_dataset_by_datasetIDC

Returns a single dataset

Parameters: datasetID (required): Limit results to a specific data set of a publisher using the data set ID.

Inputs: kwargs (required). Returns: result

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Loading tool schema changelog…

Deploy Server

One endpoint for every MCP toolRayrun runs every MCP server behind one URL and holds the credentials. Each call is decided per client, tool, and argument, then recorded.ray.runAd

TDQS

C2.7/5.0

Scored 2026-07-06 01:55 across 16 tools

Disambiguation3/5

Several tools have overlapping scopes, like multiple dataset listing tools (Data_set_api_v1_fares_dataset and timetables_api_v1_dataset) and real-time feed tools (get_live_buses_on_route and SIRI_VM_Data_feed_api_v1_datafeed). While they target different data types (fares vs timetables, route-level vs feed-level), the names are similar and could confuse an agent.

Naming Consistency2/5

Naming is highly inconsistent: some tools use snake_case (find_buses_by_arrival_time), some use camelCase (Data_set_api_v1_fares_dataset), and others use a mix (GTFS_RT_Data_feed_api_v1_gtfsrtdatafeed). There is no consistent pattern, making it hard to predict tool names.

Tool Count4/5

16 tools is reasonable for a comprehensive bus data API covering fares, timetables, real-time, disruptions, and planning. It is slightly on the high side but still well-scoped for the domain.

Completeness4/5

The tool set covers core bus data operations: dataset discovery, stop search, route lookup, timetables, real-time positions, cancellations, disruptions, and journey planning. Minor gaps exist (e.g., no fare calculation), but the overall coverage is good.

Maintenance

ActivityNo data

ResponsivenessOutdated data

Resources

Related MCP Connectors

Georgia MCPA
io.github.ABGEO
An MCP server for Georgian public data, read from the organizations that publish it.
Government Data Open Data
261
https://geo-mcp.abgeo.cloud/mcp
Codat MCP by usefulapiA
io.usefulapi
MCP server for Codat — companies, connections, invoices, bills and financial statements.
Finance ERP Systems Data Platforms
2
https://codat.usefulapi.io/mcp
UnifAPI
com.unifapi
Hosted MCP server for live public-data APIs and Skills for AI agents.
Open Data Search AI & Machine Learning
2
https://mcp.unifapi.com
cloudtime API
io.github.julysoft
MCP server providing attendance data queries via the CloudTime API.
Workplace & Productivity
2
https://cloudtime-api.zktecoiot.com/api/v1.0/agent/mcp

Related MCP Servers

mcp-server-public-transport
Location Services Open Data Travel & Transportation
mirodn
A
license
A
quality
B
maintenance
mcp-server-public-transport is an open-source, locally hosted server providing an interface for accessing public transport data across Europe.
Updated 13 days ago (2026-11-01 13:10 UTC)
13
43 PyPI
9
Python
MIT
BVG MCP Server
Travel & Transportation Location Services Search
uniquename
A
license
Not graded
quality
D
maintenance
An MCP server for interacting with the Berlin Public Transport (BVG) API to search for locations and plan journeys. It provides real-time access to departures, arrivals, trip details, and vehicle tracking within Berlin's transit network.
Updated 9 months ago (2026-02-05 14:11 UTC)
MIT
tomsk-transport
Travel & Transportation Location Services Open Data
atBuba
F
license
Not graded
quality
D
maintenance
MCP server providing real-time public transport data for Tomsk, including routes, schedules, stops with lazy OSM enrichment, nearby stop search, and a routing prompt for LLMs.
Updated 5 months ago (2026-06-08 04:15 UTC)
-
HK Bus MCP Server
Travel & Transportation Open Data
ming997hk
F
license
Not graded
quality
C
maintenance
An MCP server that provides real-time Hong Kong public transport ETA information.
Updated 4 months ago (2026-07-19 16:20 UTC)
-

OpenBusData MCP Server

Features

Installation

Option 1: via uvx (recommended — no install needed)

Option 2: via pip

Configuration

Usage

With uvx (recommended)

With pip install

Development

License

Available Tools

Tool Schema Changelog

TDQS

Maintenance

Resources

Related MCP Connectors

Related MCP Servers

mcp-server-public-transport

BVG MCP Server

tomsk-transport

HK Bus MCP Server

Option 1: via `uvx` (recommended — no install needed)

Option 2: via `pip`

With `uvx` (recommended)

With `pip` install