Official BART ETAs in a simple, easy-to-parse XML feed: Build your killer app with the same real time data we use on the BART website, hot off the griddle from BART Central. Here's what you need to know:
- Getting an API key
Psyche: you don't need one. We're opting for "open" without a lot of strings attached. Just follow our simple License Agreement, give our customers good information and don't hog resources. If that doesn't work for you, we can certainly manage usage with keys and write more terms and conditions. But who wants that? - Keep your work up to date
This feed is a work in progress: we may update the format and/or the data elements. We'll let you know ahead of time through the RSS feed and the opt-in email list. - Don't use the BART logo
Only we get to use official BART trademarks and copyrighted works to let customers know when they're getting info directly from BART versus someplace else. - Don't forget about us
Give us a mention and a link back and drop us a line to tell us how you're doing.
About the Feed
The BART Real Time ETA Feed is an XML data file with a root element that encompasses elements holding the station name, the station abbreviation, the date and time and a series of ETA elements. Each ETA element contains a destination and an estimate showing up to the next three trains arriving at the specified station with the given destination. The file is updated every 60 seconds.
Station Abbreviations
| Abbr | Station Name |
| 12th | 12th St. Oakland City Center |
| 16th | 16th St. Mission (SF) |
| 19th | 19th St. Oakland |
| 24th | 24th St. Mission (SF) |
| ashb | Ashby (Berkeley) |
| balb | Balboa Park (SF) |
| bayf | Bay Fair (San Leandro) |
| cast | Castro Valley |
| civc | Civic Center (SF) |
| cols | Coliseum/Oakland Airport |
| colm | Colma |
| conc | Concord |
| daly | Daly City |
| dbrk | Downtown Berkeley |
| dubl | Dublin/Pleasanton |
| deln | El Cerrito del Norte |
| plza | El Cerrito Plaza |
| embr | Embarcadero (SF) |
| frmt | Fremont |
| ftvl | Fruitvale (Oakland) |
| glen | Glen Park (SF) |
| hayw | Hayward |
| lafy | Lafayette |
| lake | Lake Merritt (Oakland) |
| mcar | MacArthur (Oakland) |
| mlbr | Millbrae |
| mont | Montgomery St. (SF) |
| nbrk | North Berkeley |
| ncon | North Concord/Martinez |
| orin | Orinda |
| pitt | Pittsburg/Bay Point |
| phil | Pleasant Hill |
| powl | Powell St. (SF) |
| rich | Richmond |
| rock | Rockridge (Oakland) |
| sbrn | San Bruno |
| sfia | San Francisco Int'l Airport |
| sanl | San Leandro |
| shay | South Hayward |
| ssan | South San Francisco |
| ucty | Union City |
| wcrk | Walnut Creek |
| woak | West Oakland |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are you doing this?
We want to foster innovative new applications, reach a broader audience and encourage more people to choose BART. We've had a lot feedback about real-time ETAs on the BART website, and hopefully you'll find a good use for the raw data.
Will you help me troubleshoot?
If we help you, it's only fair that we help everyone else, too. We simply don't have the resources for that. Let us know about any issues or enhancements you'd like to see, but we can't support your development efforts.
What are your plans for developing this service?
Like our open format schedules, this project was developed on what we call "BART one percent time." Drop us a line with tips or suggestions and we'll do our best to incorporate them. We're already thinking about some future enhancements for this data, and we'll let you know when we implement them through the RSS feed and the opt-in email list.
