Chelaile MCP vs ViaFrei
A side-by-side look at the Chelaile MCP and ViaFrei MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Chelaile MCP for travel & transportation work as a local process; choose ViaFrei for travel & transportation as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Chelaile MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Travel & Transportation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
bus_list_cities, bus_get_city_config, bus_reverse_geocode.
Choose ViaFrei when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Travel & Transportation domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
check_autobahn_traffic, find_cheapest_fuel, find_fuel_station.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Travel & Transportation | Travel & Transportation |
| Quality signal | 64/100 · Good | 64/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 23 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 8 views 1 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 15 | 22 |
| Full listing | View Chelaile MCP | View ViaFrei |
Tools & capabilities
Chelaile MCP tools 15
bus_list_citiesList cities supported by the realtime bus data service. Args: - hot_only (boolean, default true): return only the upstream's curated 'hot' set (~20 cities). Set false to dump the full ~480-city list (token-heavy, use sparingly). - response_format ('markdown' | 'json'): defaults to 'markdown' Returns (json): { "cities": [ { "cityId": "034", "cityName": "上海", "pinyin": "ShangHai", "supportSubway": true, "hot": true }, ... ] } Use when: the user mentions a city name and you don't have its ID. The hot set covers the top-tier cities the user almost certainly means.bus_get_city_configGet a city's runtime config: max poll interval and "arriving" time threshold. This is mostly relevant if you are deciding how aggressively to refresh — not for end-user questions about lines or stops. Args: - city_id (string, required): e.g. '034' (Shanghai), '027' (Beijing) - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns (json): { "maxInterval": 30, "arrivingStationLimitSeconds": 180, "busDisplayConfig": { "lineDetail": "time#order#distance", "other": "time#order" } }bus_reverse_geocodeConvert WGS-84 lat/lng to a Chinese postal address (province, city, district, township, formatted address). Useful when you have raw GPS coordinates and need a human-readable place name, or the citycode/adcode to pass to other tools. Args: - lat (string, required): WGS-84 latitude, decimal, e.g. '31.230416' - lng (string, required): WGS-84 longitude, decimal, e.g. '121.473701' - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns (json): { "formatted": "上海市黄浦区...", "province": "上海市", "city": "上海市", "district": "黄浦区", "township": "南京东路街道", "citycode": "021", "adcode": "310101" } For municipalities (Shanghai/Beijing/Tianjin/Chongqing) the upstream emits an empty 'city' value; this tool back-fills it with 'province' so the field is always a usable string.bus_get_my_locationResolve the caller's approximate location from their public IP — useful when the user asks something like "what's near me" without providing coordinates. **Precision is city-level (typically a few kilometres).** Good enough to identify the city and seed bus_get_nearby_stops with a starting guess. NOT precise enough to find the user's actual bus stop — for that, ask for a landmark/address and resolve it via bus_search. Caveats: - Resolves via ip-api.com (free tier; rate-limited but no auth). - VPN / corporate proxy → result reflects the proxy exit IP, not the user. - Cellular IPs often land on a provincial centroid. Args: - ip (string, optional): a specific IPv4/IPv6 to look up. Omit to use the mcp server process's own outbound IP (= the caller's machine when running locally). - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns (json): { "lat": 31.2222, "lng": 121.4581, "gpsType": "wgs", "city": "上海", "region": "上海市", "country": "中国", "ip": "116.236.0.1", "isp": "China Telecom", "precision": "city-level (~10 km); not suitable for stop-level queries" } **Suggested workflow**: 1. Call this tool to identify the user's city (match 'city' field against bus_list_cities to get a cityId). 2. Pass lat/lng into bus_get_nearby_stops for a rough nearby list, OR ask the user to confirm a landmark and use bus_search.pois for sharper coordinates.bus_searchSearch inside a city by keyword. Returns matching lines, stations, and POIs in one call. Use this as the primary entry point when the user gives a line number, station name, or destination name without IDs. **Keyword tip**: plain "71", "71路", "地铁2号线", "陆家嘴" all work — the upstream is reasonably forgiving. If a short numeric returns empty, try appending "路". **Coordinate systems**: - 'pois' coords are GCJ-02 (use directly with bus_plan_transit) - 'stations' coords are WGS-84 (use with bus_get_nearby_stops / bus_get_line_realtime) Both are also marked with a 'gpsType' field. Args: - city_id (string, required): e.g. '034' - keyword (string, required) - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns (json): { "highlightKey": "71路", "lines": [ { "name": "71", "lineNo": "r95817", "isSubway": false, "directions": [ { "direction": 0, "lineId": "21283603183", "startSn": "延安东路外滩", "endSn": "申昆路枢纽站" }, { "direction": 1, "lineId": "21283603182", "startSn": "申昆路枢纽站", "endSn": "延安东路外滩" } ], // Compat top-level fields mirror directions[0] (or first available). "lineId": "21283603183", "direction": 0, "startSn": "延安东路外滩", "endSn": "申昆路枢纽站" }, ... ], "stations": [{ "sId":"...", "sn":"西藏中路", "lat":31.231006, "lng":121.474316, "gpsType":"wgs", "physicalStId":"...", "namesakeStId":"...", "isSubway":false }, ...], "pois": [{ "name":"71路", "address":"...", "tag":"公交线路", "district":"黄浦区", "lat":31.233021, "lng":121.49073, "gpsType":"gcj" }, ...] } **Line folding**: each entry in 'lines' is one logical line (e.g. "71路"). The two travel directions live in 'directions[]'. Pick the lineId matching your desired direction. **Subway hint**: when 'isSubway' is true, the entry carries a 'hint' field — bus_get_line_detail will return empty for these lineIds. Use bus_get_stop_detail (metros field) or bus_plan_transit instead. **Follow-ups**: - directions[i].lineId → bus_get_line_detail (full stop list, first/last/price) — non-subway only - stations[*].physicalStId + namesakeStId → bus_get_stop_detail (NOTE: a few stations lack physicalStId — typically metro-only entries with subwayV2=1. For those, use bus_get_nearby_stops to resolve the bus platform IDs nearby.) - pois[*].lat/lng (GCJ) → bus_plan_transit as origin/destinationbus_search_morePaginated 'see more' for one category from bus_search. Args: - city_id (string, required) - keyword (string, required): same keyword used in bus_search - type ('1'|'2'|'3'): 1=more lines, 2=more stations, 3=more POIs (default '1') - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns: same shape as bus_search but only the requested category is populated.bus_get_nearby_stopsList bus stops near a WGS-84 GPS coordinate, each annotated with the lines that pass through and the realtime buses approaching. **If you don't have coordinates**: call bus_get_my_location first (city-level precision via IP), or ask the user for a landmark and resolve it via bus_search.pois — the resulting lat/lng goes into this tool's lat/lng args. Args: - city_id (string, required): e.g. '034' - lat / lng (string, required): WGS-84 decimal coordinates - limit (number, default 5): how many of the closest stops to return (max 20) - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns (json): { "stops": [ { "sId": "021-15232", "sn": "西藏中路", "distance": 87, "isSubway": false, "physicalStId": "...", "namesakeStId": "...", "firstLineId": "...", "lines": [ { "lineId": "...", "name": "71", "direction": 0, "endSn": "...", "status": "等待发车" | "不在运营时间" | "" (running), "preArrivalTime": "10:10" | undefined, "targetOrder": 2, "targetStationId": "021-15232", "buses": [ { "busId": "...", "order": 2, "arrivalTime": 1779070466055, "travelTime": 25, "distanceToDest": 90, "capacity": 0 } ] } ], "subwayLines": [ { "name": "地铁2号线", "shortName": "2号线", "color": "140,194,32", "directions": [{ "destName": "...", "firstTime": "05:31", "lastTime": "23:24" }] } ] } ] } Field notes: - buses[].arrivalTime is a ms timestamp; -1 = unknown - buses[].travelTime is seconds remaining; -1 = unknown - buses[].capacity: 0=light, 1=moderate, 2=crowded - If no realtime buses but the line is starting soon, 'preArrivalTime' will hold the next predicted dispatch ("10:12")bus_get_stop_detailFull detail for a stop: precise WGS-84 coordinates, every line that passes through (with first/last/price), realtime buses, and nearby metro lines. Args: - city_id (string, required) - physical_st_id (string, required): from bus_get_nearby_stops / bus_search - namesake_st_id (string, optional): recommended; from the same source - first_line_id (string, optional): a line to highlight - lat / lng (string, optional): caller's WGS-84 location, used to populate 'distance' - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns (json): { "stations": [ { "sId": "...", "sn": "...", "lat": ..., "lng": ..., "distance": ..., "lines": [{ "lineId": "...", "name": "71", "direction": 0, "startSn": "...", "endSn": "...", "firstTime": "05:30", "lastTime": "23:30", "price": "2元", "targetOrder": 2, "buses": [...] }], "metros": [{ "name": "地铁14号线", "lineNo": "14号线", "color": "97,96,32" }] } ] } Multiple entries in stations[] mean the stop name maps to several physical platforms.bus_get_line_detailFull info for a line: rider-facing fields (name, first/last/price, stationsNum), the full ordered station list, the reverse-direction lineId, and every bus currently on the line. **Use this — not bus_get_timetable — to answer "is line X still running" or "first/last bus time" questions.** The timetable tool only has data for a small minority of lines. **Subway lines are NOT supported.** If bus_search returned a line with isSubway=true (e.g. lineId=1057 for 地铁2号线), this endpoint returns an empty payload — the response will carry `empty: true` and a `hint` field pointing at bus_get_nearby_stops / bus_plan_transit. Don't retry; route to those tools instead. Args: - city_id (string, required) - line_id (string, required): from bus_search.lines[*].lineId - lat / lng (string, optional): caller's WGS-84 coordinates - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns (json): { "line": { "lineId":"...", "name":"71", "lineNo":"r95817", "direction":0, "startSn":"...", "endSn":"...", "firstTime":"05:30", "lastTime":"23:30", "price":"2元", "stationsNum":24 }, "stations": [{ "order":1, "sId":"...", "sn":"...", "wgsLat":..., "wgsLng":..., "physicalStId":"...", "namesakeStId":"...", "metros":[{"name":"地铁14号线","lineNo":"14号线","color":"97,96,32"}] }, ...], "buses": [{ "busId":"...", "order":2, "lat":..., "lng":..., "speed":5.7, "capacity":0, "distanceToWaitStn":...}], "reverseDirection": { "lineId":"...", "startSn":"...", "endSn":"...", "firstTime":"04:30", "lastTime":"22:30", "price":"2元" } | null, "depDesc": "...", "preArrivalTime": "...", "targetOrder": 24, "empty": true, "hint": "..." // present only when upstream returned no data (subway / retired line) } Each station carries: - 'order' → feed into bus_get_line_realtime / bus_list_line_buses as target_order - 'sId' → feed into bus_get_line_realtime as station_id (NOT into bus_get_stop_detail!) - 'physicalStId' + 'namesakeStId' → feed into bus_get_stop_detail to see every line through that stopbus_get_line_routePolyline coordinates for drawing a line on a map. Points with 'stopOrder' are actual stops; others are shape points between stops. Args: - city_id (string, required) - line_id (string, required) - include_shape (boolean, default false): false returns only stop markers (~25 points); true returns all shape points (~400-500). Skip unless you actually need to draw the line. - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns (json): { "pointCount": 480, // total shape points upstream returned "stopCount": 23, // stop markers among them "points": [{ "lat":..., "lng":..., "stopOrder":1 }, ...] } 'points' is the filtered list — stops only by default, full polyline when include_shape=true. **Known caveat**: upstream sometimes omits the terminus stop from the polyline, so 'stopCount' may be one less than bus_get_line_detail's 'stationsNum' (e.g. 23 vs 24). Trust bus_get_line_detail for the authoritative station list; line_route is just for drawing. Markdown mode only summarises counts; request JSON to read coordinates.bus_get_line_realtimeCanonical "when will my bus arrive" tool. Returns every bus currently on the line, with the nearest one carrying an ETA to the waiting stop. **Important**: the upstream predicts an ETA for only the nearest bus heading to your stop. Buses farther up the route are returned (with position/speed/capacity) but their `eta` field is null. That's not a bug. **Args**: - city_id (string, required) - line_id (string, required): from bus_search - target_order (string, required): the waiting stop's order on the line. Source: bus_get_line_detail.stations[i].order, or bus_get_nearby_stops.stops[].lines[].targetOrder. - station_id (string, required): sId of the waiting stop - lat / lng (string, required): WGS-84 — the user's location is best; if unavailable, use the waiting stop's wgsLat/wgsLng (from line_detail.stations[i]). - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns (json): { "line": { "lineId":"...", "name":"71", "direction":0, "endSn":"..." }, "targetOrder": 2, "realData": true, "buses": [ { "busId":"...", "licence":"...", "order":2, "lat":..., "lng":..., "speed":5.7, "capacity":0, "distanceToWaitStn":90, "eta":{"travelTime":25,"arrivalTime":1779070466055,"displayTime":"10:14"} }, { "busId":"...", "order":3, "lat":..., "lng":..., "speed":3, "capacity":0, "eta":null }, ... ], "note": "..." } Field notes: - The 'line' sub-object intentionally omits startSn — upstream does not return it on this endpoint. Read it from bus_get_line_detail if needed. - eta.travelTime is seconds remaining - eta.arrivalTime is a ms timestamp - eta.displayTime is a "HH:MM" hint from upstream - capacity: 0=light, 1=moderate, 2=crowdedbus_list_line_busesReturns the nearest bus heading to the anchor stop, with ETA and the bus's next stop name. **This is narrower than the name suggests.** Despite the upstream endpoint being called "busList", in practice it returns at most 1-2 buses (the imminent ones). For the FULL roster of every bus currently on the line, call **bus_get_line_detail** — its 'buses' array lists all live vehicles with positions. Use this tool when you want a quick "what's about to arrive" answer for a specific stop. Args: - city_id (string, required) - line_id (string, required) - target_order (string, required): the waiting stop's order on the line - station_name (string, required): display name of that anchor stop - response_format ('markdown' | 'json') Returns (json): { "targetOrder": 2, "buses": [ { "busId":"...", "licence":"...", "order":2, "lat":..., "lng":..., "speed":8.2, "capacity":0, "nextStop":"西藏中路", "eta":{"travelTime":214,"arrivalTime":..., "displayTime":"10:14"} } ] }- +3 more on the listing page
ViaFrei tools 22
check_autobahn_trafficJams, slow traffic, closures and roadworks in force this minute on up to 5 motorways, with delay/speed. Use when asked about a named motorway now: Stau, a delay, how it looks, or a LIST of closures now; name every motorway (Munich→Berlin: A9). Do NOT use for yes/no: is a road open/closed/passable — check_road_status, even now — nor a closure with no time word or a later one (tonight, weekend); Baustellen dated or geplant — find_roadworks_ahead; Stau in a town, no motorway — check_road_status; fuel (find_cheapest_fuel), trains (get_train_departures). ~5 min old. Show the attribution line.find_cheapest_fuelReturns the cheapest stations for one fuel grade near a place or coordinate: price per litre, brand, address, distance, open state. Use when the user asks where to fill up or what fuel costs. Do NOT use for charging an electric car (call find_charging_station), price history, or traffic (call check_autobahn_traffic). Radius ≤ 25 km, at most 10 stations. For a brand, a name, open now or at a named time, or nearest-first, call find_fuel_station. Each line names the age of its price and opening-hours claim. Prices are consumer information only; the attribution line and MTS-K note must be shown.find_fuel_stationFinds filling stations around a place or coordinate under any combination of filters — grade, brand, name, open now, open at a time you name, open 24 h — sorted by distance, price or name. Use when the question is WHICH station: the closest diesel to a stop, an ARAL open tonight, what one forecourt sells. Do NOT use for the plain "where is fuel cheapest" question (call find_cheapest_fuel) or for charging an electric car (call find_charging_station). Every result carries the attribution and the MTS-K note, and says how old each price and opening-hours claim is.find_parkingParking near a place, a coordinate or along one motorway: lorry parks, car parks, P+R and disabled-badge bays, with total spaces and, where published, free spaces now and the reading's age. Use when asked where to park or leave the car for the train ("Parkhaus in Köln", "Rastplatz A3", "P+R"). Do NOT use for fuel (find_cheapest_fuel) or EV charging (find_charging_station). Radius ≤ 25 km, ≤ 10 sites per list; ODbL and CC BY-SA sources are separate lists (up to three). No "free now" means no published count, not full. No prices: for "was kostet" say so, no call. Show each source's attribution.check_road_statusIf a motorway, B/Land road (NI, BW, MV, SN, TH; B also SH, BY, BE; pass Land/town as place) is open/closed/restricted now/next days; by place, jams, city/Land messages, Hamburg traffic cameras; lorry limits, Lang-Lkw (vehicle). Use when asked if a road is open/passable — "ist die A8 in diesem Moment gesperrt", at any clock, closures tonight/weekend — or city Stau: "Stau in Köln?". Do NOT use for jams/delays on a named motorway or multi-motorway route — check_autobahn_traffic; roadworks by date window — find_roadworks_ahead; city street: not held, say so. ≤ 14 days/11 entries. Show attribution.find_roadworks_aheadReturns roadworks PLANNED on one motorway, one Bundes-/Landesstraße in NI, BW, MV, SN or TH (BY: B only), or city streets by place, in a date window: section, restriction, dates. Use when a date or window is named, it says geplant, or how long a site lasts ("Baustellen auf der A7 in den Sommerferien?"). ONE road/place per call. Do NOT use when more than one motorway is named, for the situation this minute, or for Baustellen with neither date nor geplant — all three are check_autobahn_traffic; whether a road is open — check_road_status. ≤ 92 days, max 20 sites. Show attribution.find_charging_stationReturns EV charging sites near a place or coordinate with operator, connector types, maximum power, price per kWh where published, and how many points are free right now where the operator publishes live status. Use when an EV driver asks where to charge ("Wo kann ich laden?", "CCS 150 kW near Leipzig", "ist gerade eine Säule frei?"). Do NOT use for petrol or diesel — call find_cheapest_fuel; for E-Kennzeichen or Ladekarte rules — call get_driving_rules. Radius ≤ 25 km, ≤ 10 sites; availability is missing for most operators and is then unknown, never free. Show the attribution line.find_hydrogen_stationReturns hydrogen (H2) filling stations near a place or coordinate, nearest first, with operator, address, pumps (700 bar car, 350 bar truck/bus), opening hours where published and the age of the record. Use when someone asks where to refuel a fuel-cell car, lorry or bus ("Wasserstofftankstelle", "H2 tanken", "hydrogen station near me"). Do NOT use for petrol or diesel (call find_fuel_station) or EV charging (call find_charging_station); LPG/Autogas and CNG are not held — say so. Radius ≤ 150 km, ≤ 10 stations; no live availability or price is published. Shows the attribution line.find_placeLooks up a place name and returns every match, each with its kind, population, English name and coordinate; the official key (AGS/RS) only in the structured result. Use when the person asks where somewhere is, when you need a coordinate for another tool, and above all to RECOVER after a tool reported a name as ambiguous — this is where you find out which Neustadt is which. Pass `near` to rank and separate same-named places by distance. Do NOT use to find a company, shop or landmark: call find_poi. At most 10 results, radius <= 200 km. Every result carries an attribution line to show the user.find_poiFinds a business or landmark by name or kind — company, shop, clinic, hotel, hostel — with address, category and coordinate. Use when the person names a THING rather than a town: "the adesso office in Dortmund", "the nearest Aldi", "a hotel in Weimar". The coordinate passes to any other tool as lat/lon. Do NOT use for a town, district or station (every tool's `place` resolves those), nor for fuel, charging or parking (own tools). Give "in" (a town) when you can: far faster than nationwide. 25 per page, 50 via cursor; radius <= 50 km. OpenStreetMap under ODbL 1.0; show the attribution line.find_addressLooks up a street address: its coordinate, and the named OpenStreetMap objects at it (company, shop, office) or that none are. Use when the person gives a STREET AND NUMBER — "Bahnhofstraße 12, Fulda" — for the point or the business there, never who lives there. The coordinate passes to any other tool as lat/lon. Do NOT use for a town/district/station name alone (find_place) or a company/shop/landmark by name (find_poi). At most 5 points; a door mapped twice is folded, points far apart say how far; several towns are a question. OpenStreetMap ODbL 1.0; show the attribution line.describe_locationTurns a coordinate into words: the nearest address, settlement and motorway junction with their distances, and the Gemeinde, Kreis and Land the point lies in; also any low-emission zone. Use when you already HAVE a lat/lon and need to say where that is. Do NOT use to look up a place or address BY NAME — that is find_place, find_poi or find_address; this only goes coordinate to words. Those come from the municipality the point lies in (its key), not the nearest Kreis point; near the border the answer says so. OpenStreetMap ODbL 1.0 for the address; show the attribution line.- +10 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Chelaile MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"peanutsplash-chelaile-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"chelaile-mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
ViaFrei
{
"mcpServers": {
"viafrei": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"viafrei"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Chelaile MCP is categorized under Travel & Transportation and uses a local stdio subprocess. ViaFrei belongs to Travel & Transportation and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Chelaile MCP for travel & transportation work and ViaFrei for travel & transportation.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Chelaile MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. ViaFrei is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add peanutsplash-chelaile-mcp and viafrei as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Chelaile MCP has a quality signal of 64/100 (Good) with 8 views, 1 installs and 23 GitHub stars. ViaFrei has 64/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.