Live bus and train departures for Chelmsford, UK, on your phone. Open it and it shows the buses and trains leaving near you - no app store or account needed.
- Nearby departures - finds the closest bus stops in both directions, plus Chelmsford and Beaulieu Park stations, with live times where available
- Route filter - show only the routes you use, e.g. just the C8, C9 and C10
- Favourites - star a stop to keep it on screen wherever you are
- Easy to read - large text by default, three text sizes, high contrast colours and dark mode
- Search further away - widen the search if your bus isn't at the nearest stops
- Postcode entry - use a Chelmsford postcode instead of GPS; the app says so if you're outside the area it covers
- Installable - works as a Progressive Web App, and caches recent data for patchy signal
| Nearby departures | Train stations | Filter by route |
|---|---|---|
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| Filtered to C8, C9, C10 | Display settings | Dark mode |
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Screenshots use sample departure data. Regenerate them, and the GIF, with npm run demo.
npm install
cp app.config.example.json public/app.config.json # then add your API keys
npm run dev| Key | Used for | Get one from |
|---|---|---|
bodsApiKey |
Live bus positions (BODS) | Bus Open Data Service |
railDataApiKey |
Live train departures | Rail Data Marketplace - "Live Arrival and Departure Boards" |
On Netlify, set BODS_API_KEY and RAIL_DATA_API_KEY as environment variables; the build writes
them into app.config.json.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
npm run dev |
Start development server |
npm run build |
Production build |
npm run preview |
Preview production build |
npm test |
Run tests in watch mode |
npm run test:run |
Run tests once |
npm run test:coverage |
Generate coverage report |
npm run lint |
Check for lint errors |
npm run lint:fix |
Fix lint errors |
npm run format |
Format code with Prettier |
npm run typecheck |
TypeScript type checking |
npm run knip |
Find unused code |
npm run check |
Run all checks |
npm run update-stops |
Regenerate bundled bus stops (NAPTAN + BODS timetables) |
npm run demo |
Record README screenshots and demo GIF (needs ffmpeg) |
src/
├── main.ts # Application entry point
├── api/ # External API clients (First Bus, BODS, rail, postcodes.io)
├── core/ # Business logic: stops, stations, location, service area, app state
├── ui/ # Rendering, event handlers, route filter, display settings, help
├── config/ # Configuration loading with Zod
├── utils/ # Logger, time, HTML escaping, caching and fetch helpers
└── types/ # Shared type definitions
scripts/ # Bus stop data refresh, config generation, demo recording
docs/ # README screenshots and demo GIF
- Loads config and gets your location from the browser (or a postcode you enter)
- Checks you're in the Chelmsford area, and shows your postcode (via postcodes.io)
- Finds the nearest bus stops in both directions (up to 4), plus nearby train stations
- Fetches departures with a fallback chain:
- First Bus API - real-time for First Essex buses (primary)
- BODS SIRI-VM + GTFS - vehicle positions + timetables (fallback)
- GTFS scheduled times - static timetables (last resort)
- Refreshes every 60 seconds while the page is visible
| API | Purpose |
|---|---|
| First Bus | Real-time departure times |
| BODS SIRI-VM | Real-time vehicle positions |
| BODS GTFS | Static timetable data |
| Rail Data | Live train departures |
| NAPTAN | Bus stop data (pre-bundled) |
| postcodes.io | Geocoding (free, no API key) |
Uses IndexedDB for an offline-first experience:
- Bus stops: 7 days
- Departures: 60 seconds
- Timetables: 1 day
Bus stop data is bundled in public/bus-stops*.json and refreshed weekly by a GitHub Action.
MIT