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OpenBusData

Official registry Data and databases

MCP server for UK Bus Open Data with timetable parsing, journey planning and live tracking.

Source code Documentation

What can you do with OpenBusData?

  • 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

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 openbusdata-mcp
Claude Code 
claude mcp add openbusdata -e 'OPENBUS_API_KEY=<your openbus_api_key>' -- uvx openbusdata-mcp==1.0.2
JSON configuration (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code) 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "openbusdata": {
            "command": "uvx",
            "args": [
                "openbusdata-mcp==1.0.2"
            ],
            "env": {
                "OPENBUS_API_KEY": "<your openbus_api_key>"
            }
        }
    }
}

Environment variables

  • OPENBUS_API_KEY required secret Your UK Bus Open Data Service API key from https://data.bus-data.dft.gov.uk

Documentation

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

Contents
  1. OpenBusData MCP Server
  2. Features
  3. Installation
  4. Configuration
  5. Usage
  6. Development
  7. License

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

Installation

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

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

Frequently asked questions

What is OpenBusData?

MCP server for UK Bus Open Data with timetable parsing, journey planning and live tracking.

How do I install OpenBusData?

It runs on your machine. In Claude Code: claude mcp add openbusdata -e 'OPENBUS_API_KEY=<your openbus_api_key>' -- uvx openbusdata-mcp==1.0.2. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.

Does OpenBusData need an API key?

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

Is OpenBusData open source?

Its code is public on GitHub, but the repository does not declare a standard license.

Who maintains OpenBusData?

It is published by AndrewAubury. 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.