Arlet

Connect Japan Bus Timetables (GTFS) to ChatGPT

Query Japan Bus Timetables (GTFS) directly from ChatGPT. Arlet links the two through one MCP connection and takes care of API keys.

This server connects your AI client to the GTFS data repository (gtfs-data.jp), operated by the Association for Promotion of Infrastructure Geospatial Information Distribution (AIGID). The repository aggregates GTFS-JP feeds β€” the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's standard bus data format β€” from roughly 400 operators in 40 of Japan's 47 prefectures.

Coverage is mostly community and regional bus services outside the largest cities: major metropolitan operators (Toei, Keio, Odakyu, Hankyu, Kintetsu, Nishitetsu and the like) and almost all railways are not in this repository. Rail and Tokyo-area services are published through ODPT instead.

Key features:

  • Search feeds by operator name, feed name or prefecture, with each feed's Creative Commons licence and validity period.
  • Search stops inside a feed by name substring, returning stop_id and coordinates.
  • List the routes a feed contains.
  • Get departures from a stop for a given service date (default: today in Japan). The feed's calendar and calendar exceptions are resolved so only trips that actually run on that date are returned, sorted by time with route name and headsign.

The repository's API serves feed metadata; the actual timetable is a GTFS ZIP per feed. This server fetches the ZIP on demand with an in-process cache and a size cap, so very large feeds may be rejected. Data is static timetables (no realtime positions or delays).

How to connect Japan Bus Timetables (GTFS) to ChatGPT

  1. 1

    In the Arlet dashboard, open Data tools, find Japan Bus Timetables (GTFS) and switch it on. No API key setup is needed.

  2. 2

    In ChatGPT, open Settings β†’ Plugins β†’ Browse plugins and click + at the top right.

  3. 3

    In the New Plugin form, enter "Arlet" as the Name, choose Server URL for Connection and enter https://mcp.arlet.dev/mcp/, pick OAuth for Authentication, check the risk acknowledgement and click Create.

  4. 4

    Open the Arlet plugin you created, click Sign in with Arlet, sign in with Google and click Allow. The connection is complete.

If the Plugins screen is not shown, turn on Developer mode under Settings β†’ Security and login.

Use Japan Bus Timetables (GTFS) with other AI clients