mcp-bts

U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) — data.bts.gov open-data portal (Socrata platform).

Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1476+ live data sources.

Tools

Tool	Description
`search_datasets`	Search datasets published on the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics open-data portal (data.bts.gov). Returns each dataset's Socrata 4x4 id (e.g. "crem-w557"), name, and description. Use the id with dataset_columns and query_dataset. BTS covers aviation (passenger counts, on-time performance, air fares, airline financials), freight movement, transit ridership, border crossings, and transportation safety. Example queries: "aviation", "border crossing", "transit", "freight".
`dataset_columns`	List the columns of a data.bts.gov dataset: field name (used in SoQL $select/$where), human label, and data type (number, text, calendar_date, etc.). Call this before query_dataset so you know which fields exist. datasetId is the Socrata 4x4 code from search_datasets.
`query_dataset`	Query rows from a data.bts.gov dataset using SoQL. datasetId is the Socrata 4x4 code from search_datasets. SoQL clauses: $select (columns / aggregates like "count(*)" or "avg(air_fare)"), $where (SQL-like filter, e.g. "date > '2024-01-01' AND state='TX'"), $order ("date desc"), $group, $q (full-text across the row). Use dataset_columns first to learn field names. Returns an array of row objects keyed by field name. Default $limit is 50 (Socrata max per page is 50000).

Quick Start

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bts": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/bts/mcp"
    }
  }
}

What this endpoint actually serves

tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/bts/mcp returns the tools in the table above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx, discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and is the authoritative answer for a given day.

This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth, connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.

Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1476+ data sources. The only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx reaches all of them from either one.

Using with ask_pipeworx

Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:

ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Bts data" })

The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.

License

MIT

Bts