Trak.tools - GTFS Transit Data Explorer

June 16, 2025 · View on GitHub

A Vue 3 + Vite application that makes MBTA transit data accessible and easy to explore without the complexity of working directly with GTFS APIs.

Features

Route Explorer: Browse all MBTA routes with interactive cards
Route Details: View stops, vehicles, and real-time data for each route
JSON Viewer: Developer-friendly raw data access with syntax highlighting
Responsive Design: Mobile-first Bootstrap 5 interface
Real-time Data: Live vehicle positions and service updates

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Node.js 16+
npm or yarn

Installation

Clone the repository
Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Set up environment variables:
```
cp .env.example .env
```
Configure your MBTA API key in .env:
```
VITE_MBTA_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
```
Get your free API key at: https://api-v3.mbta.com/

Development

npm run dev

Build for Production

npm run build

Environment Variables

VITE_APP_ENV: Set to DEV for development, PROD for production
VITE_MBTA_API_KEY: Your MBTA API key (optional but recommended for higher rate limits)
VITE_MBTA_API_BASE_URL: MBTA API base URL (defaults to https://api-v3.mbta.com)

API Usage

The app uses the MBTA V3 API. While an API key is optional, it's recommended to avoid rate limiting:

Without API key: 20 requests per minute
With API key: 1000 requests per minute

Tech Stack

Frontend: Vue 3 with Composition API
Build Tool: Vite
UI Framework: Bootstrap 5
HTTP Client: Axios
Routing: Vue Router
Language: TypeScript

Project Structure

src/
├── components/          # Reusable Vue components
├── pages/              # Page components
├── services/           # API services
├── style.css          # Global styles
└── main.ts            # App entry point

Contributing

This is an open-source project. Contributions are welcome!

License

MIT License