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TransCAPI

Official registry Other

UK and Ireland transport: live buses and trains, journey planning, rail fares, disruptions.

Source code Website Documentation

Install

Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).

PYPI package transcapi-mcp
Claude Code 
claude mcp add transcapi -e 'TRANSCAPI_API_KEY=<your transcapi_api_key>' -e 'TRANSCAPI_BASE_URL=<TRANSCAPI_BASE_URL>' -- uvx transcapi-mcp==0.1.3
JSON configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code) 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "transcapi": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "transcapi-mcp==0.1.3"
            ],
            "env": {
                "TRANSCAPI_API_KEY": "<your transcapi_api_key>",
                "TRANSCAPI_BASE_URL": "<TRANSCAPI_BASE_URL>"
            }
        }
    }
}

Environment variables

  • TRANSCAPI_API_KEY required secret Your TransCAPI API key. Free at https://www.transcapi.com/signup
  • TRANSCAPI_BASE_URL API address, if not https://api.transcapi.com

Documentation

From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.

Contents
  1. TransCAPI MCP server
  2. Setup
  3. Tools
  4. Configuration
  5. Attribution
  6. Licence

TransCAPI MCP server

Lets AI assistants such as Claude answer questions about public transport in Great Britain and Ireland with live data: "When's the next train from Leeds to York, and is it on time?", "Where's the 52 bus?", "Is anything disrupting my route home?"

It connects an assistant to TransCAPI, which covers England, Scotland, Wales and the island of Ireland (plus the Netherlands and Belgium): stops and places, bus and rail departures with live running, live bus positions, journey planning with rail fares, disruptions matched to a route, and measured bus punctuality.

Setup

  1. Get a free API key at https://www.transcapi.com/signup (200 requests a day, every endpoint).

  2. Add the server to your MCP client. For Claude Desktop, in claude_desktop_config.json:

     {
   "mcpServers": {
     "transcapi": {
       "command": "uvx",
       "args": ["transcapi-mcp"],
       "env": { "TRANSCAPI_API_KEY": "your-key" }
     }
   }
 }

    For Claude Code:

     claude mcp add transcapi --env TRANSCAPI_API_KEY=your-key -- uvx transcapi-mcp

    Or install it yourself with pip install transcapi-mcp and run transcapi-mcp.

Tools

ToolWhat it answers
search_placesFind a town, village, postcode or stop by name
nearby_stopsBus, tram and rail stops near a point, with which way the buses go
nearby_stationsRail stations near a point
bus_departuresWhat's leaving (or arriving at) a bus stop, with live times for tracked buses
rail_departuresLive trains at a station: expected times, platforms, cancellations, delay reasons
train_serviceEvery station one train calls at, live for today
bus_serviceEvery stop one bus journey calls at, and where the bus is now
live_busesBuses on the road near a point, with delays where tracked
disruptionsPlanned works, incidents and line status, by area, line or a journey's route
plan_journeyPublic transport journeys between two points (South and West Yorkshire and West Sussex for now)

All tools are read-only.

Configuration

Variable
TRANSCAPI_API_KEYRequired. Your TransCAPI key.
TRANSCAPI_BASE_URLOptional. Defaults to https://api.transcapi.com.

Attribution

TransCAPI is built on official open data. If you show its data to other people, credit the sources as described at https://www.transcapi.com/docs/data-sources.

Licence

MIT.

Frequently asked questions

What is TransCAPI?

UK and Ireland transport: live buses and trains, journey planning, rail fares, disruptions.

How do I install TransCAPI?

It runs on your machine. In Claude Code: claude mcp add transcapi -e 'TRANSCAPI_API_KEY=<your transcapi_api_key>' -e 'TRANSCAPI_BASE_URL=<TRANSCAPI_BASE_URL>' -- uvx transcapi-mcp==0.1.3. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.

Does TransCAPI need an API key?

Yes. It expects TRANSCAPI_API_KEY, which you set in its configuration.

Is TransCAPI open source?

Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.

Who maintains TransCAPI?

It is published by tcdataconsultants. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.

From the official MCP Registry. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.