The Carris application is already "fully operational" but the API with real-time information from buses and streetcars will not be public again. Company available to give access to those who ask, upon analysis.
Carris refers that its app, where it is possible to consult the real time schedules of its buses and streetcars, is already "fully operational" but does not intend to re-publish the API that would allow anyone to access this information, to develop analysis or create community applications, as happens, for example, in the Lisbon Metro.
The Lisbon municipal bus operator clarifies that, "in the recent past"There was a need to make a change in the architecture of the mobile application, "this was because Carris operation information was being accessed by the general public, since we did not have active customer registration for the app". That is, the set of APIs that allowed Carris's application to show real time schedules of the lines was being used by more people or entities, which, according to the operator, was overloading its server, leading to unavailability of updated information or even available in the app for passengers.
"Any person or software company could use the information from our services and even overload our server. This has happened in the recent past and has led us to update versions of the app to introduce new security and credential usage processes."Carris explained to Lisboa Para Pessoas. The API accesses "they are no longer public, but more restricted and time-controlled" and for that reason, "currently the new versions of the app for Android and iOS are already more responsive and available".
Contrary to Carris, the Lisbon Metro makes its APIs publicly available with real-time information on train locations, waiting times, service disruptions, and other data. This openness on the part of this operator has allowed the emergence of community projectsas the application Next Metrowhich shows in a simple and practical way how long it will take to get to the next subway at any station; or the website Perturbações.ptwhich presents the most complete analysis of the availability and unavailability of the Lisbon Metro service over several years.
Although Metro de Lisboa makes real-time data available through its public APIs - which any person or entity can use - this information feeds the company's own website or Twitter account, where it is possible to consult the "state of the lines" and know if there is any service disruptionand also the physical panels of the stations. Metro can ensure that third-party requests for access to the APIs do not disrupt the availability of information on the company's official channels, technically privileging the server response to official channels over third-party requests; this way, in a more critical overload situation, Metro de Lisboa's most important means of communication, such as its website and panels, may not fail while everyone else fails.
Public but not free data
Carris, for its part, wants to take a more restrained stance. The company says that its data "are public, which does not mean they are free". The operator, which has been in the hands of the Lisbon City Council since 2017, is available to provide access credentials to its APIs through a review "based on several parameters: purpose, type of data, project description, measures for maintaining the sites". "In addition, whenever requested, we accompany the implementation with technical support and recommendations, so that we preserve the value and credibility of the information."the company informs. Carris provides the e-mail atendimento@carris.pt and a online form.
Carris' application was operational between last week and this week, with improvements in the last few days. As Lisboa Para Pessoas reported last weekThere were stops where there was no real time data about the routes in the app and others where this information was available. Carris explains that, "momentarily, the number of requests made by all customers, whether private individuals, digital channels, websites or other platforms with B2B integration, put a very high pressure in a phase of migration to the new system, with Carris managing the connections according to priorities and the principle of least impact to the customer".
Carris' application (iOS e Android) is currently the best place to find out the real-time schedules of Lisbon's buses and streetcarsand that this data are also available on the company's websitewhere you can search for a specific route, select a stop and see the waiting times. Carris' real time timetables are also available on a application called Move-mewhich also integrates data from the Lisbon Metro and other operators in other parts of the country.
Lisboa Para Pessoas asked Carris about the current unavailability of real time information in other applications like Google Maps, CityMapper or Moovit. The carrier says that "already makes the information available to these platforms, and it's up to each company to decide whether they want to use the real-time data or use the theoretical [tabulated schedules] data, to feed their own algorithms.". "Carris was, incidentally, one of the first entities to make the data available in the GTFS-RT format."
