VVO Widget API Documentation

Base URL: http://widgets.vvo-online.de

Overview

The Widget API is a simple GET-based interface designed for website integration. Originally created to power embeddable departure monitor widgets, it provides basic transit information in a lightweight JSON format.

Key Characteristics:

• Simple GET requests with query parameters
• Lightweight JSON responses (arrays only)
• No authentication required
• Intended for small-scale, non-commercial use
• Covers all VVO network area (not just Dresden)
• Plain HTTP only, no HTTPS. Browsers block requests from HTTPS pages (mixed content), although the server sends Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *

An OpenAPI 3.1 description of these endpoints is available at openapi/widgets.yaml.

Important Usage Restrictions

According to VVO’s terms of use:

• Non-commercial use only - Commercial usage is explicitly prohibited
• No excessive automated querying - The API is intended for interactive use
• Fair use policy applies - Be respectful of server resources
• Violation of these terms may result in IP blocking

For commercial applications or high-volume usage, contact VVO directly at opendata@vvo-online.de.

Abfahrten

Get a list of upcoming departures from a given stop with a few filter options.

Request

GET http://widgets.vvo-online.de/abfahrtsmonitor/Abfahrten.do

Params:

Name	Type	Description	Required	Default
hst	String	Name or ID of the stop	Yes	-
vz	Int	Time offset in minutes from now (e.g. 5 = 5 minutes in future)	No	0
ort	String	City/municipality name to disambiguate stop (e.g. “Dresden”)	No	-
vm	String	Comma-separated list of transport modes to filter	No	All modes
lim	Int	Maximum number of departures to return	No	All
timestamp	Int	Unix timestamp for departure time search (unconfirmed)	No	Current time
iso	Boolean	Return times in ISO format (unconfirmed)	No	false

Neither timestamp nor iso had a visible effect when tested in October 2026.

Possible transport modes are listed here. Currently included are AST/Rufbus, Rufbus, Fähre, Regionalbus, S-Bahn, Seil-/Schwebebahn, Stadtbus, Straßenbahn, Zug.

Response

[
  [
    "4", // Line number/identifier
    "Radebeul West", // Direction/destination
    "1", // Minutes until departure
  ],
  ["1", "Prohlis", "2"],
  ["9", "Kaditz", ""],
];

Response Format:

• Outer array contains all departures
• Each departure is an array with exactly 3 elements:
  • Index 0: Line number (String)
  • Index 1: Direction/final destination (String)
  • Index 2: Minutes until departure (String), empty string if the vehicle departs now
• Times are relative (minutes from now), not absolute
• Empty array [] returned if no departures found
• Unknown stop names often do not cause an error: the API may return [] or silently pick another stop. Use stop IDs from Haltestelle.do where possible
• An unknown ort gives HTTP 503 with the non-JSON body [# no id#]. A missing hst gives HTTP 503 with #err1#

# Example: Next 2 departures from Postplatz in Dresden
curl -X "GET" "http://widgets.vvo-online.de/abfahrtsmonitor/Abfahrten.do?hst=postplatz&ort=Dresden&lim=2"

# Example: Departures 10 minutes from now, only trams and buses
curl -X "GET" "http://widgets.vvo-online.de/abfahrtsmonitor/Abfahrten.do?hst=helmholtzstra%C3%9Fe&ort=Dresden&vz=10&vm=Stra%C3%9Fenbahn,Stadtbus"

# Example: Using stop ID instead of name
curl -X "GET" "http://widgets.vvo-online.de/abfahrtsmonitor/Abfahrten.do?hst=33000037&lim=5"

Haltestelle

Find specific stops given a partial name or search query.

Request

GET http://widgets.vvo-online.de/abfahrtsmonitor/Haltestelle.do

Params:

Name	Type	Description	Required
ort	String	City name	No
hst	String	Stop name	Yes

Response

[
  [
    [
      "Dresden", // City/municipality name
    ],
  ],
  [
    [
      "Helmholtzstraße", // Stop name
      "Dresden", // City where stop is located
      "33000742", // Stop ID (can be used in Abfahrten.do)
    ],
  ],
];

Response Format:

• Nested array structure with two main sections:
  1. First section: List of matching cities/municipalities
  2. Second section: List of matching stops
• Each stop entry contains: [name, city, stopId]
• Stop IDs can be used directly in departure queries
• Empty sections if no matches found
• Without ort, the search may resolve to stops outside the VVO area
• A missing hst gives HTTP 503 with the non-JSON body [err235]

curl -X "GET" "http://widgets.vvo-online.de/abfahrtsmonitor/Haltestelle.do?ort=Dresden&hst=Helmholtz"

Verkehrsmittel (Transport Modes)

Get a list of all available transport modes.

Request

GET http://widgets.vvo-online.de/abfahrtsmonitor/Verkehrsmittel.do

Response

Returns an array of 2-element arrays. The first element is the internal identifier, the second is the display name used for the vm parameter. The body starts with a UTF-8 byte order mark, which some JSON parsers reject.

[
  ["AST/Rufbus", "Rufbus"], // On-demand bus (AST)
  ["Fähre", "Fähre"], // Ferry
  ["Regionalbus", "Regionalbus"], // Regional bus
  ["Rufbus", "Rufbus"], // On-demand bus
  ["S-Bahn", "S-Bahn"], // Suburban railway
  ["Seil-/Schwebebahn", "Seil-/Schwebebahn"], // Cable car/Funicular
  ["Stadtbus", "Stadtbus"], // City bus
  ["Straßenbahn", "Straßenbahn"], // Tram
  ["Zug", "Zug"], // Train
];

Use the second element (display name) in the vm parameter of Abfahrten.do to filter departures by transport type.

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Integration Examples

Simple Departure Monitor Widget

This only works on pages served over plain HTTP, see above.

<!-- Basic departure monitor for a website -->
<div id="departures"></div>
<script>
  fetch(
    "http://widgets.vvo-online.de/abfahrtsmonitor/Abfahrten.do?hst=postplatz&ort=Dresden&lim=5",
  )
    .then((response) => response.json())
    .then((data) => {
      const html = data
        .map(
          ([line, direction, minutes]) =>
            `<div>${line} → ${direction} in ${minutes} min</div>`,
        )
        .join("");
      document.getElementById("departures").innerHTML = html;
    });
</script>

Home Automation Integration

Many users integrate this API with home automation systems:

• OpenHAB
• Home Assistant
• FHEM
• Custom Raspberry Pi displays

The simple format makes it ideal for IoT devices and embedded systems.

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Common Issues and Solutions

1. Character Encoding: Stop names may contain German umlauts. Ensure proper UTF-8 handling.

2. Content-Type: The API returns text/html as Content-Type despite serving JSON. Most JSON parsers handle this fine, but you may need to parse the body explicitly instead of relying on response type detection.

3. Stop Name Matching: The API resolves stop names loosely and may silently pick the wrong stop. Use Haltestelle.do first and query by stop ID.

4. No Results: If you get an empty array, verify:

   • Stop name spelling is exact
   • Add city parameter if stop exists in multiple cities
   • Check if service runs at the requested time