Timetable Api Node MCP Server

Timetable API Node

Express-based API for Lviv transport timetable data with a read-only MCP endpoint.

Requirements

• Node.js 24 (see .nvmrc)

Run locally

nvm use
make start

Test

nvm use && make test

MCP Server

This service exposes a public read-only MCP endpoint over Streamable HTTP.

• MCP endpoint: /mcp
• Server card: /.well-known/mcp/server-card.json
• Discovery hint: /robots.txt (non-standard comment hint)

Production deployment (see cloudbuild.yaml for Cloud Run) serves REST and MCP from api.lad.lviv.ua. The main site lad.lviv.ua is the public transport website (this repo still links there in HTML sitemap and tables for people, not for the API host). Use your own origin when running locally.

LLM and /mcp flow

An MCP client (Claude, Cursor, or the MCP SDK) talks JSON-RPC over Streamable HTTP to POST /mcp. Tool handlers reuse the same Express actions as the REST API, backed by LokiJS timetable data, GTFS SQLite (via gtfs), and live GTFS-RT feeds (for example track.ua-gis.com).

graph LR;
  Client[LLM or MCP client] -->|JSON-RPC Streamable HTTP| Mcp["POST /mcp"];
  Mcp --> Tools[Tool handlers];
  Tools --> Actions[Express actions];
  Actions --> Loki[(LokiJS)];
  Actions --> Gtfs[(GTFS SQLite)];
  Actions --> Rt[GTFS-RT upstream];
  Loki --> Actions;
  Gtfs --> Actions;
  Rt --> Actions;
  Actions --> Tools;
  Tools --> Mcp;
  Mcp -->|MCP tool result| Client;

Try the live API

MCP Inspector (local): run npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector, then open the UI with transport and server URL prefilled (from the inspector README):

http://localhost:6274/?transport=streamable-http&serverUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.lad.lviv.ua%2Fmcp

POST https://api.lad.lviv.ua/mcp with Content-Type: application/json. The Streamable HTTP transport may require additional headers your MCP client sets automatically; for a quick manual test, follow the same sequence your MCP SDK uses (session initialize, then tools/call). Example tools/call body shape:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "get_stop_realtime",
    "arguments": { "stop_id": 101 }
  }
}

Successful tool responses return a natural-language text summary inside MCP content items (type: "text") — e.g. "Stop «Opera»: 3 arrivals. Next: T01 → «Rynok» in 2 min." The full structured payload is in the structuredContent field (for schema-aware clients). Each structuredContent payload follows a strict UI contract:

{
  "view": "transit_realtime",
  "data": { "...": "tool-specific source data" },
  "ui_blocks": [
    { "type": "map", "data": { "...": "map renderer input" } },
    { "type": "arrival_list", "data": { "...": "arrival list renderer input" } }
  ]
}

Consistency rule: each vehicle rendered on map must either have a matching ETA in list data or eta_status: "unassigned".

Exposed tools

• get_stop_realtime
• get_route_static
• get_route_realtime
• get_stop_geometry
• get_stops_around_location
• get_nearby_vehicles
• get_vehicle_info
• plan_trip

Arguments (JSON):

Example result (shape only; values from upstream):

{
  "view": "transit_realtime",
  "data": {
    "stop": { "id": "707", "name": "Стадіон Сільмаш", "lat": 49.84, "lng": 24.03 },
    "arrivals": [
      {
        "route": "T30",
        "direction": "Рясівська",
        "vehicle_type": "tram",
        "arrival_minutes": 4,
        "vehicle_id": "tram_123",
        "lat": 49.83,
        "lng": 24.02,
        "bearing": 120
      }
    ],
    "updated_at": "2026-01-23T12:00:00Z"
  },
  "ui_blocks": [
    {
      "type": "map",
      "data": { "center": [49.84, 24.03], "vehicles": [] }
    },
    {
      "type": "arrival_list",
      "data": { "arrivals": [] }
    }
  ]
}

Arguments (JSON):

Example result (shape only; stops truncated for brevity):

{
  "view": "transit_realtime",
  "data": {
    "route": {
      "name": "T30",
      "long_name": "Рясне-2 — Сихів",
      "color": "#e81717",
      "type": "tram"
    },
    "stops": [
      [
        {
          "id": "101", "name": "Головний вокзал", "lat": 49.841, "lng": 24.003,
          "departures": ["05:30", "05:52"],
          "schedule": { "workday": ["05:30", "05:52", "06:10"], "weekend": ["07:00", "07:30"] }
        },
        { "id": "707", "name": "Стадіон Сільмаш", "lat": 49.838, "lng": 24.021, "departures": [], "schedule": { "workday": [], "weekend": [] } }
      ],
      [
        { "id": "707", "name": "Стадіон Сільмаш", "lat": 49.838, "lng": 24.021, "departures": [], "schedule": { "workday": [], "weekend": [] } },
        { "id": "101", "name": "Головний вокзал", "lat": 49.841, "lng": 24.003, "departures": [], "schedule": { "workday": [], "weekend": [] } }
      ]
    ],
    "shapes": [
      [[49.841, 24.003], [49.839, 24.012], [49.838, 24.021]],
      [[49.838, 24.021], [49.839, 24.012], [49.841, 24.003]]
    ],
    "updated_at": "2026-01-23T12:00:00Z"
  },
  "ui_blocks": [
    {
      "type": "map",
      "data": {
        "center": [49.841, 24.003],
        "zoom": 13,
        "polylines": [[[49.841, 24.003], [49.839, 24.012], [49.838, 24.021]]],
        "stops": [
          { "id": "101", "name": "Головний вокзал", "lat": 49.841, "lng": 24.003 },
          { "id": "707", "name": "Стадіон Сільмаш", "lat": 49.838, "lng": 24.021 }
        ],
        "vehicles": []
      }
    }
  ]
}

stops[0] is direction 0 (outbound), stops[1] is direction 1 (return). departures and schedule are populated only for the first stop of direction 0; all other stops have empty arrays. schedule.workday contains Monday–Friday departure times; schedule.weekend contains Saturday–Sunday departure times. departures keeps today's schedule for backward compatibility. shapes follows the same two-element order. The map block uses direction-0 polyline and all unique stops as markers.

Arguments (JSON):

Example result:

{
  "view": "transit_realtime",
  "data": {
    "route_name": "T30",
    "vehicles": [
      {
        "id": "tram_123",
        "direction": 0,
        "lat": 49.838,
        "lng": 24.021,
        "bearing": 120,
        "lowfloor": true
      }
    ],
    "updated_at": "2026-01-23T12:00:00Z"
  },
  "ui_blocks": [
    {
      "type": "map",
      "data": {
        "center": [49.838, 24.021],
        "zoom": 13,
        "vehicles": [
          {
            "id": "tram_123",
            "direction": 0,
            "lat": 49.838,
            "lng": 24.021,
            "bearing": 120,
            "lowfloor": true
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

direction matches the index into get_route_static's stops array (0 = outbound, 1 = return). lowfloor: true indicates a low-floor vehicle. Returns an empty vehicles array when no vehicles are currently active on the route.

Arguments:

Example result:

{
  "view": "transit_realtime",
  "data": {
    "stop": { "id": "707", "name": "Стадіон Сільмаш", "lat": 49.84, "lng": 24.03 },
    "routes": [
      {
        "route": "T30",
        "polyline": [[49.84, 24.03], [49.83, 24.02]]
      }
    ]
  },
  "ui_blocks": [{ "type": "map", "data": { "routes": [] } }]
}

Returns stops near a map point (numeric code, name, coordinates, distance). Intended for hosts that render map UI blocks (for example ChatGPT): one block with multiple stop markers and the search center. Uses the same backend as GET /closest (see below).

Arguments (JSON):

Example result (shape only):

{
  "view": "transit_realtime",
  "data": {
    "center_lat": 49.84,
    "center_lng": 24.03,
    "radius_meters": 1000,
    "stops": [
      {
        "id": "707",
        "name": "Стадіон Сільмаш",
        "lat": 49.841,
        "lng": 24.031,
        "distance_meters": 120
      }
    ],
    "updated_at": "2026-01-23T12:00:00Z"
  },
  "ui_blocks": [
    {
      "type": "map",
      "data": {
        "center": [49.84, 24.03],
        "zoom": 15,
        "stops": [
          {
            "id": "707",
            "name": "Стадіон Сільмаш",
            "lat": 49.841,
            "lng": 24.031,
            "distance_meters": 120
          }
        ],
        "vehicles": []
      }
    }
  ]
}

Map zoom is 15 for radius ≤ 1500 m and 14 for larger radii (up to 3000 m).

Returns live positions for all transit vehicles within 1 km of given coordinates. Wraps the same backend as GET /transport.

Arguments (JSON):

Example result (shape only):

{
  "view": "transit_realtime",
  "data": {
    "center_lat": 49.84,
    "center_lng": 24.03,
    "vehicles": [
      {
        "id": "tram_123",
        "route": "T01",
        "vehicle_type": "tram",
        "lat": 49.841,
        "lng": 24.031,
        "bearing": 90,
        "lowfloor": true
      }
    ],
    "updated_at": "2026-01-23T12:00:00Z"
  },
  "ui_blocks": [
    {
      "type": "map",
      "data": {
        "center": [49.84, 24.03],
        "zoom": 14,
        "vehicles": [{ "id": "tram_123", "route": "T01", "lat": 49.841, "lng": 24.031, "bearing": 90, "eta_status": "unassigned" }]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Full details for one vehicle by its ID: position, route, license plate, direction, and upcoming stop arrival times. Vehicle IDs come from get_route_realtime, get_nearby_vehicles, or get_stop_realtime.

Arguments (JSON):

Example result (shape only):

{
  "view": "transit_realtime",
  "data": {
    "vehicle_id": "tram_123",
    "route": "route-ext-1",
    "license_plate": "BC-1234-AB",
    "lat": 49.841,
    "lng": 24.031,
    "bearing": 90,
    "direction": 0,
    "upcoming_stops": [
      { "code": 707, "arrival": "2026-01-23T12:05:00Z", "departure": null },
      { "code": 708, "arrival": "2026-01-23T12:08:00Z", "departure": null }
    ],
    "updated_at": "2026-01-23T12:00:00Z"
  },
  "ui_blocks": [
    {
      "type": "map",
      "data": { "center": [49.841, 24.031], "zoom": 15, "vehicles": [{ "id": "tram_123", "eta_status": "unassigned" }] }
    }
  ]
}

Plans a transit trip from an origin stop to a destination stop using the static route graph. Returns direct options (one route) and 1-transfer options sorted by fewest stops. Does not account for realtime disruptions — combine with get_stop_realtime for live ETAs after planning.

Arguments (JSON):

Example result (direct trip):

{
  "view": "transit_realtime",
  "data": {
    "origin": { "id": "101", "name": "Головний вокзал" },
    "destination": { "id": "707", "name": "Стадіон Сільмаш" },
    "options": [
      {
        "type": "direct",
        "route": "T30",
        "direction": 0,
        "board_stop_code": 101,
        "board_stop_name": "Головний вокзал",
        "alight_stop_code": 707,
        "alight_stop_name": "Стадіон Сільмаш",
        "stops_count": 4
      }
    ],
    "updated_at": "2026-01-23T12:00:00Z"
  },
  "ui_blocks": []
}

Transfer trip option shape:

{
  "type": "transfer",
  "route1": "T01",
  "route2": "А05",
  "board_stop_code": 101,
  "board_stop_name": "Головний вокзал",
  "transfer_stop_code": 303,
  "transfer_stop_name": "Площа Ринок",
  "alight_stop_code": 707,
  "alight_stop_name": "Стадіон Сільмаш",
  "stops_count_1": 3,
  "stops_count_2": 2
}

Up to 5 direct and 3 transfer options are returned. Use get_stops_around_location to resolve addresses or coordinates to stop codes before calling this tool.

Resources and resource templates

In addition to tools, the server exposes MCP resources for reference data that doesn't require a tool call:

Security model

• Public read-only (no authentication).
• No mutating tools are exposed.
• POST /mcp is rate-limited to 60 requests/min per IP (in-memory, resets on restart). Excess requests receive HTTP 429 with a JSON-RPC error body.
• robots.txt is only a best-effort discovery hint and not a protocol contract.

REST API

All endpoints return JSON. :code is a numeric stop code; :name is a route short name (e.g. T1, 32A) or numeric external ID.

Stops

GET /stops.json

All stops as a JSON array, sorted by code.

• Response: array of { code, name, eng_name, location: [lat, lng], routes, sign, sign_pdf }.

(GET /stops returns an HTML table instead.)

GET /stops/:code

Single stop with live realtime timetable. Short-cached (5–10 s).

• Optional: skipTimetableData=1 — omit live arrivals (long-cached response).
• Response: { code, name, eng_name, latitude, longitude, transfers, timetable }.

GET /stops/:code/timetable

Live timetable only for a stop. Short-cached (5–10 s).

• Response: array of timetable items.

GET /stops/:code/static

Static stop info without live data. Long-cached (30 days).

• Response: { code, name, eng_name, latitude, longitude, transfers }.

GET /closest?latitude={lat}&longitude={lng}

Nearby stops — same search as get_stops_around_location, for non-MCP clients.

• Optional: radius — meters, clamped between 50 and 3000 (default 1000).
• Response: JSON array of { code, name, latitude, longitude, distance_meters } (sorted by distance).

Routes

GET /routes.json

All routes as a JSON array, sorted by short name.

• Response: raw route objects from the timetable store.

(GET /routes returns an HTML table.)

GET /routes/static/:name

Route shape, stop list, and metadata. Long-cached (30 days).

• Response: { id, color, type, route_short_name, route_long_name, stops: [[dir0…], [dir1…]], shapes }.
• Each stop object: { code, name, loc, transfers, departures, schedule }.
  • departures — today's departure times (HH:MM), populated only for direction 0 first stop. Kept for backward compatibility.
  • schedule — { workday: string[], weekend: string[] } departure times by day type, populated only for direction 0 first stop.

GET /routes/dynamic/:name

Live vehicle positions for a route. Short-cached (10 s).

• Response: array of { id, direction, location: [lat, lng], bearing, lowfloor }.

Vehicles

GET /vehicle/:vehicleId

Live position and upcoming stop arrivals for one vehicle. Short-cached (5 s).

• Response: { location: [lat, lng], routeId, bearing, direction, licensePlate, arrivals }.

GET /vehicle-by-plate/:plate

Look up a vehicle ID by its license plate. Short-cached (5 s).

• The plate is matched case-insensitively with spaces and dashes ignored (BC-1234-AA, bc 1234 aa, and bc1234aa are all equivalent).
• Response: { vehicleId } — use the returned ID with GET /vehicle/:vehicleId.

GET /transport?latitude={lat}&longitude={lng}

Vehicles within 1 km of a point. Short-cached (10 s).

• Response: array of { id, route, vehicle_type, color, location: [lat, lng], bearing, lowfloor }.

Trip planning

GET /trip-plan?origin={code}&destination={code}

Static trip planning between two stops using the route graph.

• Response: { origin, destination, options } where each option is either a direct trip (single route) or a transfer trip (two routes with a transfer stop). Up to 5 direct and 3 transfer options, sorted by fewest stops.
• Cached for 60 s.