Get a transit route

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A transit route provides navigation instructions using the public transportation options available in the region. Transit options may include buses, subways, and trains, among others. A transit route also usually includes instructions on walking to, from, and between transit stations. Because a transit route typically requires you to travel using more than one mode of travel, how you request the route and some parts of the response are different.

How transit routes differ from other routes

Transit routes, which you request by setting a travelMode of TRANSIT, differ from routes using different travel mode options. You cannot request all of the same objects and options, and the response returns different fields, when compared to other routes.

In the Routes API, steps are consistently one navigation instruction across all types of travel. So each navigation instruction is a step. A transit route response is very similar to routes with other travel modes, with a few key differences:

Request differences	Response differences
You cannot specify intermediate waypoints.	Includes Transit details.
Cannot get eco-friendly routes	Includes metadata for each travel mode that contains the summary of the steps for that travel mode, in the stepsOverview (to request this metadata, use the stepsOverview field mask).
Cannot specify how and if to include traffic data
Cannot specify route features to avoid
Can only specify transitPreferences. For details, see TransitPreference.

To get a transit route

1. Set your origin and destination.
   
   Note: Transit routes don't support intermediate waypoints.
2. Set the travelMode to TRANSIT.
3. Add the appropriate field masks to get the response you need. See Request the transit route fields you need.
4. If needed, set optional parameters. See Set parameters for a transit route

Request the transit route fields you need

Request the transit route fields you need using field masks. The following table contains some suggested responses for a transit route, and the field mask to use to request them.

To request this information	Use this field mask
All route details.	*
Transit details for route legs.	legs
Estimated fare for each step of the route, and localized estimated fare.	travelAdvisory
Localized text for duration and distance	localizedValues

Set parameters for a transit route

Here are the relevant parameters for transit routes:

To do this	Use this parameter	Notes
Select transit mode	travelMode: "TRANSIT"	Required. Learn more.
Set an arrival or departure time	arrivalTime: new Date(yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ssZ) OR departureTime: new Date(yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ssZ)	Optional. You can specify either arrival time or departure time. If neither time is specified, the departureTime defaults to the current execution time (now). You can set arrival and departure times only within the following time window, with the current execution time (now) as the reference: up to and including 7 days prior to now up to and including 100 days after now Time is expressed as a Date object. Note: Transit schedules change frequently, available transit trips may change over time and there is no guarantee to provide consistent results for predictions far in advance.
Include alternate routes	computeAlternativeRoutes: true	Optional. Set to true to have computeRoutes compute up to 3 additional routes, when available. Learn more
Specify preferences for the transit type	transitPreference: {allowedTransitModes: ["BUS", "SUBWAY", "TRAIN", "LIGHT_RAIL", "RAIL"]} Note: If you specify a preferred travel mode, returned routes may still use other transit modes, even only use other transit modes, depending on the efficiency of the route on, and the availability of, the preferred travel.	Optional. Specify preferred transit travel modes. Learn more
Specify preferences for the transit route	transitPreference: {routingPreference: "LESS_WALKING|FEWER_TRANSFERS"}	Optional. Specify transit routing preferences. Learn more

Example request

The following example shows how to request a transit route:

const request = {
  origin: 'Hunters Point San Francisco, CA 94124',
  destination: '201 Marine Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129',
  travelMode: 'TRANSIT',
  departureTime: new Date(),
  transitPreference: {
    allowedTransitModes: ['BUS', 'SUBWAY', 'TRAIN', 'LIGHT_RAIL', 'RAIL'],
    routingPreference: 'FEWER_TRANSFERS', // Alternatively, 'LESS_WALKING'.
  },
  fields: ['path', 'legs', 'travelAdvisory', 'localizedValues'],
};