Metlink Departures Display

Glanceable “LED sign” display (web + CLI) for Metlink bus departures in Wellington.

Setup

1. Create a .env file (you can copy from .env.example):

   • METLINK_API_KEY=...your key...
   • Optional: set defaults for your house:
     • METLINK_STOP_ID=7958
     • METLINK_LIMIT=2
     • METLINK_PORT=8765
     • METLINK_REFRESH_SECONDS=15

2. Make scripts executable (once):

   • chmod +x bus-times bus_times.py

Quickstart

• Run the web sign:

  • python3 bus_sign_server.py
  • Open http://localhost:8765/

• Run the terminal sign:

  • ./bus-times

Usage

• Default stop (7958), next two departures:

  • ./bus-times

• Another stop id:

  • ./bus-times 1234

• Pick interactively (lists all stops, then choose a number):

  • ./bus-times pick

• Pick interactively with a filter (less scrolling):

  • ./bus-times pick brooklyn

You can also run the legacy wrapper:

• ./get\ stops

Always-on display (living room / by the door)

Two simple options:

1. Fullscreen terminal on a small screen (Raspberry Pi / mini PC)

• Run:
  • watch -n 15 ./bus-times

2. Share over your home network (good for old phones, e-ink, ESP32, etc)

• Start the server:
  • ./bus_sign_server.py
• From any device on your LAN (full-screen “LED sign” page):
  • http://<host>:8765/
• Plain text endpoint (good for microcontrollers / e-ink renderers):
  • http://<host>:8765/sign.txt

Run on boot (Raspberry Pi / mini PC)

• Copy and edit the example unit:
  • sudo cp homebustimes.service.example /etc/systemd/system/homebustimes.service
• Update paths + User= inside it to match your device.
• Enable:
  • sudo systemctl daemon-reload
  • sudo systemctl enable --now homebustimes

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.