TransiCast

TransiCast - A Transit Data Web API

TransiCast is a public transportation data aggregation platform that offers next bus and train times of North American metros. The next bus and train times are schedule based, or real-time, where available. TransiCast also offers transit routes and stops. All wrapped in a web service with an integrated, unified format that consolidates the various incompatible formats that transit agencies offer today.

SF Bay Area, Portland, L.A., Chicago, Boston, Champaign-Urbana, New York, Chapel-Hill, Toronto, Pinellas

The current Agency List - agencies with real-time next bus and train times are marked rt="true".

TransiCast enables instant reach across multiple agencies and services and eliminates the effort of finding the relevant transit data from various sources. Currently, TransiCast implements twelve different real-time feed formats and GTFS service network data.

So if you are rolling a hyperlocal mobile app or web service that could benefit from transparently aggregated next bus and train times - TransiCast might just meet your needs.

How it works

Think of TransiCast as a Gigya for public transportation data. You license the data (sources here), and use TransiCast to aggregate your data feeds. TransiCast delivers the content of these feeds through a hosted web service in an unified, integrated data format.

Check out the TransiCast apps for Android™ and Nokia / Symbian to get an impression of TransiCast's capabilities.

Try it out

Below a few quick samples of TransiCast calls:

Next bus times for TriMet Rose Quarter Transit Center

Next train times Caltrain at Millbrae Station

Next train times BART at Millbrae Station

Stops at 37.794543,-122.394922 (near San Francisco Ferry Plaza)

Route List of SFMTA (San Francisco)

Route details of CTA (Chicago) route 28

Agency List, sorted by distance from 41.727122, -87.55947 (near Chicago)

Service Messages for the CTA

Beyond these samples, the TransiCast Web Service is open for full hands-on test drives. No sign up required. Check it out with an open sample key, and code against the web service. Assuming familiarity with the implementation of client side web service calls, the documentation should contain all necessary information to get started. Please let us know what you think.

Production setup

With sign-up to a production plan, we:

• Set up and maintain a dedicated and exclusive instance of the TransiCast web server on Google App Engine.
• Provide a dedicated and exclusive application ID.
• Perform monthly updates of the base data (stops, routes) as provided by the original source (transit agencies).
• Expansions of the data scope and new features are rolled into the dedicated and exclusive instance at no additional cost.

Please note that TransiCast does not enter licensing agreements with the providers of the base data and next bus and train times. We assist in determining the licensing needs for a selected production plan.

Transicast is a commercial service.

Client App Sample

This Google Code project contains a reference implementation of a TransiCast client app in Qt.

Contact

By email