Is there an API for MBTA?

MBTA does not offer a public data API for this, but Anakin Wire provides 11 maintained endpoints for mbta.com. You call Anakin's REST API with an action ID and parameters and get structured JSON back; Anakin handles the browser, proxies, anti-bot, and parsing.

How do I scrape MBTA data?

POST to https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task with your API key, the action ID, and its parameters, then poll GET /v1/wire/jobs/{id} until the job settles. There is nothing to install and no scraper to maintain — when mbta.com changes its markup, Anakin updates the action.

Do I need a MBTA account?

No. Every MBTA action listed here runs anonymously — no account and no credentials required.

What does the MBTA API cost?

Usage-based credits, charged per call and refunded automatically when a job fails. New accounts start with 300 free credits and no card. See anakin.io/pricing for the current rates.

Travel

MBTA API

mbta.com

Boston MBTA transit - schedules, stops, routes, real-time departures, and alerts.

Actions: 11
Category: Travel
Login: Not required
Output: JSON

Get an API key Wire API reference

Call the MBTA API

Submit a task, then poll the job until it settles. This example runs act_mbta_line_schedule_map.

curl -X POST https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task \
  -H "X-API-Key: $ANAKIN_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "action_id": "act_mbta_line_schedule_map",
    "params": {
      "line_id": "Red",
      "direction_id": "0"
    }
  }'

11 actions on mbta.com

Read

Line Schedule Map
act_mbta_line_schedule_mapread2 credits / call
Returns map markers and geometry for stops on an MBTA line and direction.
line_id
string · required
direction_id
string · required
Line Schedule Stops
act_mbta_line_schedule_stopsread2 credits / call
Returns the full stop tree and schedule structure for an MBTA line direction.
line_id
string · required
direction_id
string · required
Popular Stations
act_mbta_popular_stationsread1 credit / call
Returns popular stations and airports with stop IDs, coordinates, and line features.
Route Metadata
act_mbta_route_metadataread2 credits / call
Returns route display metadata such as names, colors, and types for given route IDs.
route_ids_csv
string · required
Route Service Alerts
act_mbta_route_service_alertsread2 credits / call
Returns active service alerts filtered by given route IDs.
route_ids_csv
string · required
Stop Metadata
act_mbta_stop_metadataread1 credit / call
Returns station metadata including address, accessibility, and parking for a stop ID.
stop_id
string · required
Stop Realtime Departures
act_mbta_stop_realtime_departuresread2 credits / call
Returns live and scheduled departure board entries for a stop.
stop_id
string · required
last_stop_departures
boolean
future_departures
boolean
Stop Route Patterns
act_mbta_stop_route_patternsread1 credit / call
Returns route patterns and route IDs serving a stop.
stop_id
string · required
Subway Line Schedule
act_mbta_subway_line_schedule_ssrread1 credit / call
Returns the stop tree and schedule structure for a subway line.
line_id
string · required
Trip Planner Results
act_mbta_trip_planner_results_ssrread2 credits / call
Returns trip planner results for an encoded origin and destination plan.
trip_plan_blob
string · required

Write

Write actions change state on mbta.com and run as the account you connect.

Stop Station Search
act_mbta_stop_station_searchwrite2 credits / call
Returns stops and stations matching a query with ranked IDs and coordinates.
search_query
string · required
algolia_indexes_with_params
array

MBTA API questions

Is there an API for MBTA?: MBTA does not offer a public data API for this, but Anakin Wire provides 11 maintained endpoints for mbta.com. You call Anakin's REST API with an action ID and parameters and get structured JSON back; Anakin handles the browser, proxies, anti-bot, and parsing.
How do I scrape MBTA data?: POST to https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task with your API key, the action ID, and its parameters, then poll GET /v1/wire/jobs/{id} until the job settles. There is nothing to install and no scraper to maintain — when mbta.com changes its markup, Anakin updates the action.
Do I need a MBTA account?: No. Every MBTA action listed here runs anonymously — no account and no credentials required.
What does the MBTA API cost?: Usage-based credits, charged per call and refunded automatically when a job fails. New accounts start with 300 free credits and no card. See anakin.io/pricing for the current rates.