A minimal, zero-infrastructure TRMNL plugin that displays real-time BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) departure and arrival times directly on your e-ink device.
You enter an origin station and a destintation station and you'll get the next 2-3 departure times. Multiple views for personalized dashboards with various commutes.
Multiple views for unlimited mashup potential.
✨ Real-time BART data - Shows next 3 upcoming departures and arrival times 🚂 Origin & Destination tracking - See when you leave and when you arrive 🎨 E-ink optimized - Black & white design for perfect readability ⚡ Zero infrastructure - No servers, no backends, no maintenance 📱 Direct API calls - TRMNL device communicates directly with BART's public API 🔧 Easy setup - Just copy & paste configuration into TRMNL 📐 Multiple layouts - Choose from grid, horizontal, or vertical layouts
- Visit https://usetrmnl.com/recipes/181434
- Click install
- Configure & Save - Select your BART origin and destination stations
- Set polling interval in your TRMNL device settings (default: 15 minutes)
- Log into TRMNL at https://dashboard.trmnl.com
- Create a new Private Plugin
- Paste Form Fields
- Go to "Form Fields" section
- Copy and paste the content from
settings.yml(see below for station list)
- Set Polling URL
- Go to "Polling URL" section
- Copy and paste this URL:
https://api.bart.gov/api/sched.aspx?cmd=depart&orig={{ bart_origin_station }}&dest={{ bart_destination_station }}&date=now&key=MW9S-E7SL-26DU-VV8V&b=0&a=4&json=y- TRMNL will automatically replace
{{ bart_origin_station }}and{{ bart_destination_station }}with your configuration values - You can replace the public BART API key with your own api key
- Select Template Layout
- Choose based on your device orientation:
- Full Screen → Use
full.liquid(3 trips in horizontal grid) - Horizontal → Use
half-horizontal.liquid(3 trips in row layout) - Small → Use
quadrant.liquid(2 trips in 2-column grid) - Tall → Use
half-vertical.liquid(3 trips in vertical stack)
- Full Screen → Use
- Choose based on your device orientation:
- Paste Liquid Template
- Copy and paste your chosen template file
- Save & Configure - Select your BART origin and destination stations
- Set polling interval in your TRMNL device settings (default: 15 minutes)
In TRMNL's "Form Fields" section, paste the content from settings.yml:
This file contains:
- BART Origin Station - Where you're boarding (dropdown with 49 stations)
- BART Destination Station - Where you're going (dropdown with 49 stations)
All 49 BART stations are included: FTVL, 19TH, LAKE, DBRK, EMBR, POWL, SFIA, and more.
In TRMNL's layout section (Full Screen, Quadrant, Small, or Tall), paste your chosen template:
Available layouts:
=full.liquid- 3-column grid layout (shows 3 trips)half-horizontal.liquid- 3-column row layout (shows 3 trips)quadrant.liquid- 2-column grid layout (shows 2 trips)half-vertical.liquid- Vertical stack layout (shows 3 trips)
Each template will:
- Display your origin → destination as the header
- Show up to 2-3 upcoming trips in card format
- Display departure time, arrival time, and train line abbreviations
- Handle errors gracefully with a warning message
Once saved, TRMNL will show configuration options:
- Select your Origin Station (e.g., Fruitvale)
- Select your Destination Station (e.g., 19th St. Oakland)
- Save configuration
TRMNL will now poll the BART API every 15 minutes (configurable in TRMNL device settings).
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
settings.yml |
TRMNL plugin form fields (origin/destination stations) |
full.liquid |
3-column grid template (Full Screen layout) |
half-horizontal.liquid |
3-column row template (Quadrant layout) |
quadrant.liquid |
2-column grid template (Small layout) |
half-vertical.liquid |
Vertical stack template (Tall layout) |
README.md |
This file |
Public use. Same terms as BART's public API.
This is a community project. For TRMNL-specific issues, check the TRMNL docs. For BART API questions, see https://www.bart.gov
Version: 1.0 Last Updated: November 2025 Repository: https://github.com/jetsharklambo/BARTcom-TRMNL