At Transport

---
name: at-transport
description: "Query live Auckland Transport (AT) public transport data — stops, departures, service alerts, vehicle positions, routes, and network status. Use when the task involves Auckland buses, trains, ferries, or real-time transit information."
license: MIT
compatibility: "Requires Python 3.10+ and network access for live data"
metadata:
  thecolab.category: "transport"
  thecolab.source_owner: "Auckland Transport"
  thecolab.source_type: "official"
  thecolab.auth: "api-key"
  thecolab.access_mode: "public-api"
  thecolab.data_class: "public"
  thecolab.writes: "false"
  thecolab.browser: "false"
  thecolab.risk: "medium"
  thecolab.cache_ttl: "24h"
  thecolab.schema_version: "1"
  thecolab.skill_type: "public-api"
  thecolab.pack: "nz-public-data"
  thecolab.source_url: "https://api.at.govt.nz"
  thecolab.allowed_domains: "api.at.govt.nz"
  thecolab.last_verified: "2026-07-19"
  thecolab.health: "gated"
  thecolab.maintainer: "@adam91holt"
---

# Auckland Transport

## Goal

Query live Auckland public transport data from the AT API through a CLI that is easy for agents to script and easy for humans to scan. Covers real-time departures, service alerts, stop search, nearby stops, vehicle tracking, and network status.

## Use this when

- A user asks about Auckland public transport — buses, trains, ferries
- A user wants real-time departure information from a specific stop
- A user asks about service disruptions or alerts in Auckland
- A user wants to find nearby stops or search for a stop by name
- A user asks about live vehicle positions on the Auckland network
- A user wants a quick overview of Auckland Transport network status

## Do not use this for

- Transport outside Auckland / New Zealand
- Route planning or journey directions (use AT's journey planner)
- Historical schedule data or timetable lookups
- Fares or ticketing information
- Traffic or road conditions

## Preferred workflow

1. Run `scripts/cli.py` with the narrowest subcommand that answers the task
2. Use default human output for direct answers
3. Use `--json` when another tool or agent needs machine-readable output

## CLI

Run with:

```bash
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py <command> [flags]
```

### `alerts [--limit N] [--json]`

Active service alerts and disruptions across the Auckland network.

JSON shape:
- `timestamp`
- `total_active`
- `returned`
- `alerts[]` with `id`, `severity_level`, `cause`, `effect`, `header_text`, `description_text`, `active_period`, `informed_entity`

Examples:

```bash
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py alerts
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py alerts --limit 5
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py alerts --json
```

### `departures <stop_id> [--limit N] [--json]`

Real-time departures from a stop. Uses stop code (e.g. `11814`) or full stop ID. Shows route, expected time, and delay. For parent stations, includes all child platform stops.

JSON shape:
- `stop` with stop details
- `total_departures`
- `returned`
- `departures[]` with `route_id`, `route_short_name`, `route_type`, `trip_id`, `stop_id`, `stop_name`, `direction_id`, `scheduled_time`, `expected_time`, `delay_seconds`, `vehicle_id`, `vehicle_label`

Key stop codes:
- `11814` — Britomart (bus terminal)
- `11815` — Customs St/Britomart
- `11895` — Britomart Queens Arcade
- `31986` — Britomart Lower Albert

Examples:

```bash
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py departures 11814
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py departures 7155 --limit 5
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py departures 11814 --json
```

### `stops <query> [--limit N] [--json]`

Search stops by name, code, or ID. Returns matching stops with location and type info.

JSON shape:
- `query`
- `total_matches`
- `returned`
- `stops[]` with `stop_id`, `stop_code`, `stop_name`, `stop_lat`, `stop_lon`, `location_type`, `parent_station`, `platform_code`

Examples:

```bash
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py stops Britomart
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py stops Newmarket
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py stops 7155 --json
```

### `nearby <lat,lon> [--radius N] [--limit N] [--json]`

Find stops near a geographic location. Radius in meters, defaults to 500m.

JSON shape:
- `location` with `lat`, `lon`
- `radius_m`
- `total_nearby`
- `returned`
- `stops[]` with stop details plus `distance_m`

Examples:

```bash
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py nearby --location=-36.844,174.768
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py nearby --location=-36.844,174.768 --radius 1000
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py nearby --location=-36.844,174.768 --json
```

### `route <route_id> [--json]`

Show details for a specific route. Use full route ID (e.g. `STH-201`).

JSON shape:
- `route_id`, `route_short_name`, `route_long_name`, `route_type`, `agency_id`, `route_color`

Examples:

```bash
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py route STH-201
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py route 70-221 --json
```

### `vehicles [--route <route_id>] [--limit N] [--json]`

Live vehicle positions across the network, optionally filtered by route.

JSON shape:
- `timestamp`
- `filter_route`
- `total_vehicles`
- `returned`
- `vehicles[]` with `vehicle_id`, `label`, `lat`, `lon`, `speed`, `bearing`, `route_id`, `trip_id`, `last_update`

Examples:

```bash
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py vehicles
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py vehicles --route STH-201
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py vehicles --limit 10 --json
```

### `status [--json]`

Overall network status summary — active trips, vehicles, on-time %, delays, and alert counts.

JSON shape:
- `timestamp`
- `alerts_count`
- `alerts_by_severity`
- `active_trips`
- `active_vehicles`
- `delayed_trips`
- `avg_delay_seconds`
- `on_time_percentage`

Examples:

```bash
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py status
python3 skills/at-transport/scripts/cli.py status --json
```

## Resources

- CLI entrypoint: `scripts/cli.py`
- Live smoke test: `scripts/smoke_test.py`

## Notes

- Set the user-supplied Auckland Transport subscription key in `AT_API_KEY`; the skill does not bundle credentials
- Uses GTFS v3 for static data (stops, routes) and GTFS-RT legacy feed for real-time data (alerts, trip updates, vehicle positions)
- Departures show only trips with active real-time tracking — vehicles currently approaching or at the stop
- Parent stations (location_type=1) automatically include departures from child platform stops
- Default output is human-readable; `--json` is intended for chaining into other tools or agent steps
- Route types: 0=Tram, 2=Train, 3=Bus, 4=Ferry

## Source notes

Read `references/source-notes.md` for source ownership, access, and freshness boundaries.