Capmetro Skill

CapMetro Austin Transit

Real-time Austin CapMetro transit data - vehicle positions, next arrivals, service alerts, and route information. No API key required.

When to Use

• User asks about Austin bus or train schedules, arrival times, or delays
• User asks "when is the next bus/train" or "is the 801 running"
• User asks about CapMetro service alerts, detours, or disruptions
• User wants to know where a bus/train currently is
• User asks about nearby stops or route information
• User mentions MetroRail (Red Line), MetroRapid (801/803), or any Austin bus route
• User asks about CapMetro fares, how to ride, or general transit info

Data Sources

All feeds are open access, no API key required, hosted on the Texas Open Data Portal.

GTFS-RT (Real-Time) Feeds - Updated every 15 seconds

GTFS Static Feed - Route/Stop/Schedule data

Implementation

Quick Start: Use the helper scripts

The scripts in this skill's scripts/ directory handle fetching, parsing, and presenting CapMetro data.

Script: scripts/capmetro.mjs

Main entry point. Supports these commands:

# Get current service alerts
node scripts/capmetro.mjs alerts

# Get real-time vehicle positions (optionally filter by route)
node scripts/capmetro.mjs vehicles [--route 801]

# Get next arrivals at a stop (by stop_id)
node scripts/capmetro.mjs arrivals --stop <stop_id>

# Get arrivals by searching stop name (uses best match)
node scripts/capmetro.mjs arrivals --stop-search "lakeline" --route 550

# Get arrivals filtered by direction/headsign
node scripts/capmetro.mjs arrivals --stop-search "downtown" --route 550 --headsign "lakeline"

# Get arrivals filtered by route at a stop
node scripts/capmetro.mjs arrivals --stop <stop_id> --route 801

# Search for stops by name or location
node scripts/capmetro.mjs stops --search "domain" 
node scripts/capmetro.mjs stops --near 30.4,-97.7

# List all routes
node scripts/capmetro.mjs routes

# Get route details including stops
node scripts/capmetro.mjs route-info --route 801

# Download/refresh GTFS static data (run periodically)
node scripts/capmetro.mjs refresh-gtfs

Setup: GTFS Static Data

On first use, run node scripts/capmetro.mjs refresh-gtfs to download and extract the static GTFS data (routes, stops, schedules) to ~/.capmetro/gtfs/. This only needs to be refreshed when CapMetro updates their schedule (typically quarterly or during service changes).

Key Route Reference

Tips for Users

• Stop IDs can be found on CapMetro stop signs, in the Transit app, or by searching with the stops command
• MetroRapid 801/803 have the most frequent service (every 10-12 minutes during peak)
• MetroRail Red Line (550) runs Leander to Downtown Austin with limited frequency
• Service alerts often contain detour information - check alerts before advising routes
• Vehicle position data updates every ~15 seconds, so locations are near real-time

Error Handling

• If a feed returns an error or empty data, inform the user that real-time data may be temporarily unavailable
• The JSON vehicle positions feed is easier to parse and a good fallback if protobuf parsing fails
• GTFS static data is required for stop names, route names, and schedule lookups - ensure it's been downloaded

Response Formatting

When presenting transit info to the user:

• Lead with the most actionable info (next arrival time, active alerts)
• Include route number AND name (e.g., "Route 801 MetroRapid")
• Show times in 12-hour format with AM/PM
• For delays, show both scheduled and estimated times
• For vehicle positions, describe location relative to landmarks when possible
• If there are active service alerts for the route the user asked about, always mention them

Fares Reference (as of 2025)

Payment via Umo app, tap-to-pay, or fare card. Free transfers within 2 hours.

External Endpoints

All endpoints are open-access Texas Open Data Portal URLs. No API key, authentication, or user data is transmitted.

Security & Privacy

• No credentials required - all data sources are open access, no API keys or tokens
• No user data transmitted - requests are anonymous GET calls with no query parameters containing user info
• Local storage only - GTFS static data is cached locally at ~/.capmetro/gtfs/; no data is written elsewhere
• No telemetry - this skill does not phone home or collect usage data
• Input handling - stop names and route IDs from user input are used only for local filtering, never interpolated into URLs or shell commands

Trust Statement

This skill only reads publicly available transit data from the Texas Open Data Portal. It does not access, store, or transmit any personal information. All network requests are read-only GET calls to open government data feeds.