Transport for Chicago, US

About Transport for Chicago, US

The Chicago Transit Authority's Developer Center provides data feeds and APIs for building applications using CTA transit data. It offers a Train Tracker API for real-time train arrival predictions, a Bus Tracker API for real-time bus arrival predictions and location data, and a Customer Alerts API covering planned and unplanned service events published on transitchicago.com.

The data is also available through General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) files, an open format used by many transit agencies to power directions in web and transit apps. Additional resources include open data sets (KML, CSVs, and others) published via the City of Chicago's data portal, RSS feeds for service and news updates, and a Do-It-Yourself Transit Info Display web application for showing bus and train arrival times, weather, and service alerts on a screen.

Use of the APIs and data requires agreeing to CTA's Developer License Agreement and Terms of Use, along with guidelines on the use of CTA trademarks and branding. The service is intended for developers building applications, mash-ups, and displays that surface CTA bus and train information; CTA states it does not provide direct support for writing software but offers pointers and links to external resources.

Key features

• Real-time train arrival predictions via the CTA Train Tracker API
• Real-time bus arrival predictions and location data via the CTA Bus Tracker API
• Customer Alerts API for planned and unplanned service events
• GTFS static schedule and service data feed
• JSON and XML response formats for Train Tracker, Bus Tracker, and Customer Alerts APIs
• Open data sets (KML, CSVs) via the City of Chicago data portal

Frequently asked questions