| name | capmetro-skill |
| description | Austin CapMetro transit - real-time vehicle positions, next arrivals, service alerts, route info, and trip planning for buses and rail (MetroRail, MetroRapid, MetroBus). Use when the user asks about Austin public transit, bus schedules, train times, CapMetro alerts, or nearby stops. |
| homepage | https://github.com/brianleach/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
| Feed | Format | URL |
|---|
| Vehicle Positions | JSON | https://data.texas.gov/download/cuc7-ywmd/text%2Fplain |
| Vehicle Positions | Protobuf | https://data.texas.gov/download/eiei-9rpf/application%2Foctet-stream |
| Trip Updates | Protobuf | https://data.texas.gov/download/rmk2-acnw/application%2Foctet-stream |
| Service Alerts | Protobuf | https://data.texas.gov/download/nusn-7fcn/application%2Foctet-stream |
GTFS Static Feed - Route/Stop/Schedule data
| Feed | Format | URL |
|---|
| GTFS Static (zip) | ZIP | https://data.texas.gov/download/r4v4-vz24/application%2Fx-zip-compressed |
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:
node scripts/capmetro.mjs alerts
node scripts/capmetro.mjs vehicles [--route 801]
node scripts/capmetro.mjs arrivals --stop <stop_id>
node scripts/capmetro.mjs arrivals --stop-search "lakeline" --route 550
node scripts/capmetro.mjs arrivals --stop-search "downtown" --route 550 --headsign "lakeline"
node scripts/capmetro.mjs arrivals --stop <stop_id> --route 801
node scripts/capmetro.mjs stops --search "domain"
node scripts/capmetro.mjs stops --near 30.4,-97.7
node scripts/capmetro.mjs routes
node scripts/capmetro.mjs route-info --route 801
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
| Route | Name | Type |
|---|
| 550 | MetroRail Red Line | Rail (Leander ↔ Downtown) |
| 801 | MetroRapid North/South | Rapid Bus (Tech Ridge ↔ Southpark Meadows) |
| 803 | MetroRapid Burnet/South Lamar | Rapid Bus (Domain ↔ Westgate) |
| 1 | N Lamar/S Congress | Local Bus |
| 7 | Duval/Dove Springs | Local Bus |
| 10 | S 1st/Red River | Local Bus |
| 20 | Manor Rd/Riverside | Local Bus |
| 300 | Oltorf/Riverside Crosstown | Crosstown Bus |
| 325 | Ohlen/Loyola | Crosstown Bus |
| 985 | Night Owl | Late Night Service |
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)
| Fare Type | Price |
|---|
| Local / MetroRapid | $1.25 |
| MetroRail | $3.50 (single) |
| Day Pass | $2.50 |
| 7-Day Pass | $11.25 |
| 31-Day Pass | $41.25 |
Payment via Umo app, tap-to-pay, or fare card. Free transfers within 2 hours.
External Endpoints
| Endpoint | Data Sent | Data Received |
|---|
data.texas.gov/download/cuc7-ywmd/... | None (GET only) | Vehicle positions (JSON) |
data.texas.gov/download/eiei-9rpf/... | None (GET only) | Vehicle positions (Protobuf) |
data.texas.gov/download/rmk2-acnw/... | None (GET only) | Trip updates (Protobuf) |
data.texas.gov/download/nusn-7fcn/... | None (GET only) | Service alerts (Protobuf) |
data.texas.gov/download/r4v4-vz24/... | None (GET only) | GTFS static data (ZIP) |
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.
