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Quickstart

Get your first TfL API responses in under 5 minutes using the same operations as the API playground.

Prerequisites​

  • A tool to make HTTP requests (curl, Postman, or the API playground)
  • No account required for these demo operations

OpenAPI description​

Download tfl-playground.json — OpenAPI 3.0.3 description of all playground operations.

1. Get line status​

GET /Line/Mode/{modes}/Status — fetch status for all lines in a mode (for example tube):

curl "https://api.tfl.gov.uk/Line/Mode/tube/Status"

Optional query: detail=true for richer disruption detail when the API supports it.

2. Search for stops​

GET /StopPoint/Search/{query} — find stops and stations by name:

curl "https://api.tfl.gov.uk/StopPoint/Search/waterloo"

3. Get bike point data​

GET /BikePoint — list cycle hire docking stations:

curl "https://api.tfl.gov.uk/BikePoint"

4. Get air quality forecast​

GET /AirQuality — current and forecast air quality for London, no parameters required:

curl "https://api.tfl.gov.uk/AirQuality"

5. Plan a journey​

GET /Journey/JourneyResults/{from}/to/{to} — route options between two points using stop IDs:

curl "https://api.tfl.gov.uk/Journey/JourneyResults/1000032/to/1000123"

1000032 is King's Cross St. Pancras and 1000123 is London Waterloo. You can also use postcodes or free-text place names.

Next steps​