MyBus

A simple Python application for the Raspberry Pi that provides real-time transit arrival information for bus stops, trains, and other public transportation. The application continuously monitors and displays live arrival times with an intuitive console interface.

Features

🚌 Real-time Arrivals: Live arrival predictions for buses, trains, and other transit vehicles 🔄 Auto-refresh: Automatically updates every 60 seconds 🕒 Smart Time Display: Shows both absolute arrival times and countdown minutes 🚦 Multiple Transit Types: Supports buses, light rail, heavy rail, commuter rail, and ferries ⚡ Visual Indicators: Special highlighting for imminent arrivals (≤5 minutes)

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Virtual environment (required)
• Internet connection for API access
• Required packages (see Installation)

Installation

Important: This application must be run in a virtual environment to avoid conflicts with system packages and ensure proper dependency management.

1. Clone this Git

git pull https://github.com/richardtheb/mybus
cd mybus

2. Create and Activate The Virtual Environment

python3 -m venv myvenv
source myvenv-env/bin/activate

3. Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Verify Installation

Ensure your virtual environment is active (you should see (mybus-env) in your terminal prompt) before running the application.

Configuration

1. Edit ProviderConfig.json and customize it for your transit provider and stop:

{
  "transport_provider": {
    "name": "MBTA",
    "base_url": "https://api-v3.mbta.com",
    "endpoints": {
      "arrivals": "/predictions?filter[stop]={stop_id}&sort=arrival_time"
    },
    "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE",
    "headers": {
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
      "Accept": "application/vnd.api+json"
    }
  },
  "bus_stop": {
    "id": "YOUR_STOP_ID",
    "name": "Your Stop Name"
  },
  "request_settings": {
    "timeout": 30,
    "max_arrivals": 10
  }
}

Update the configuration with your specific details:

• API Key: Obtain from your transit provider (if required)
• Stop ID: The unique identifier for your transit stop
• Base URL: API endpoint for your transit provider
• Stop Name: Human-readable name for display

Usage

⚠️ Important: Always ensure your virtual environment is activated before running the application.

python MyBus.py

The application will:

1. Start monitoring and display "🚀 Starting transit arrival monitoring..."
2. Show live arrivals with route numbers, arrival times, and countdown minutes
3. Refresh automatically every 60 seconds
4. Continue until you press Ctrl-C to stop

Sample Output

Live Arrivals for Massachusetts Ave @ Sidney St
Updated: 2:30:15 PM

Route 1 : 2:35 PM ( 5 minutes)
Route Red : 2:38 PM (8 minutes)
Route 47 : 2:42 PM (12 minutes)

Deactivating the Environment

When you're done using the application:

deactivate

Reactivating for Future Use

To run the application again later:

source myenv/bin/activate
python MyBus.py

Removing the Environment

If you want to completely remove the virtual environment:

# Make sure it's deactivated first
deactivate
# Then remove the directory
rm -rf myenv  

Supported Transit Providers

The application is designed to work with any transit API that follows RESTful patterns. It has been tested with:

• MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority)
• MTA (New York Transit Authority)
• Other GTFS-RT compatible APIs

To add support for other providers, update the ProviderConfig.json with the appropriate API endpoints and parameters.

Key Components

• API Integration: Robust HTTP request handling with error recovery
• Time Calculations: Accurate arrival time processing with timezone support
• Display Engine: Clean console output
• Configuration System: Flexible JSON-based setup

Error Handling

The application includes comprehensive error handling for:

• Network connectivity issues
• API timeouts and errors
• Invalid configuration files
• Missing or malformed data
• Platform-specific keyboard input variations

Troubleshooting

Virtual environment issues:

• Ensure you've activated the virtual environment before running
• Verify the virtual environment was created successfully
• Check that pip is installing packages in the correct location

No arrivals showing:

• Verify your stop ID is correct
• Check that your API key is valid (if required)
• Ensure internet connectivity

Application won't stop:

• Try Ctrl+C as a fallback
• Check that your terminal supports keyboard input detection

Configuration errors:

• Validate your JSON syntax
• Ensure all required fields are present
• Check API endpoint URLs

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues, feature requests, or pull requests. The code is structured to make it easy to add support for additional transit providers.

When contributing, please ensure you're working within a virtual environment and include any new dependencies in package_requirements.txt.

Author

Richard Baguley & PyCharm AI

License

This project is open source. Please check with your transit provider regarding their API usage terms and conditions.