Overview
The Boston MBTA Transit API gives you real-time data for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, including train, bus, and ferry arrivals. You can retrieve live predictions, alerts, and schedule data for all MBTA routes. An API key is required and can be obtained for free on the MBTA developer portal.
Beginner Tip
Register for a free API key at https://api-v3.mbta.com/ to get higher rate limits — unauthenticated requests are heavily throttled. Use the /predictions endpoint with a stop ID to get live arrival times.
Available Data
The kind of data this API exposes, based on its documentation. We could not call the endpoint to confirm the exact field names.
Example Response
Illustrative shape only — we were not able to call this endpoint (it requires credentials or exposes no public sample URL), so the fields below show the kind of data this API returns rather than a recorded response.
{
"route": "Line 1",
"origin": "Station A",
"destination": "Station B",
"departure": "08:30",
"arrival": "09:15",
"status": "On Time",
"delays_min": 0
} Field Reference
id Unique prediction identifier combining route, stop, and trip information. attributes.arrival_time ISO 8601 timestamp of the predicted arrival time at the stop, or null if this is the first stop. attributes.departure_time ISO 8601 timestamp of the predicted departure time from the stop. attributes.status Human-readable status string such as "Arriving", "Boarding", or "Departed". relationships.route.data.id The route identifier such as "Red", "Green-B", or "1" linking to the /routes endpoint. relationships.stop.data.id The stop identifier linking to the /stops endpoint for location details. Implementation Example
Calls a real endpoint of this API. Replace any placeholder credentials with your own key.
const url = "https://api-v3.mbta.com/predictions?filter[stop]=place-sstat&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY";
// Replace headers or query params with the values required by this API.
const response = await fetch(url, {
headers: {
"X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
});
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data); What Can You Build?
Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.
Common Errors & Troubleshooting
Generated guidance based on this API's documentation, not observed by us. Treat it as a starting point and check against the provider's own error reference.
Metadata Score Breakdown
Estimated from metadata — endpoint not independently tested
Metadata estimate · endpoint not independently tested
Technical Specifications
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