“Real-time Metro train and bus data now available in Apple Maps”

From WMATA:

“Metro riders can now get to where they need to go even easier thanks to Apple Maps adding support for real-time transit information in Washington DC this week. Customers using Apple Maps will now see detailed transit schedules, live departure and arrival times, the current location of a Metro train or bus, and system connections to help plan their journey.

“The introduction of real-time data on Apple Maps–and soon other services–is a game-changer that will improve trip planning and give riders new visibility on the exact location of their train or bus,” said Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld. “We want to make choosing Metro as simple and convenient as possible, and a key element of success will be providing real-time transit information as broadly as possible.”

The new data feed, known as General Transit Feed Specification Real Time (GTFS-RT), will make trip results more accurate on third-party apps and allow developers to integrate live train and bus information in new and innovative ways. Metro has opened GTFS-RT to selected major mapping services and to all registered third-party developers.

Metro’s commitment to open data began nearly a decade ago with the release of rail and bus schedules through APIs in 2010, followed by GTFS scheduled data the following year. In 2016, Metro released a real-time API feed that shows the live location of trains throughout the 117-mile Metrorail system. The transit agency makes the data available to developers at no charge.

Additional information about Metro’s developer resources are available at developer.wmata.com.”