Tabussen Trip Planner

Plan public transport journeys in Västerbotten, Sweden - including Umeå local traffic (Ultra) and regional routes (Länstrafiken Västerbotten).

Overview

This skill uses the ResRobot API (Trafiklab) to provide journey planning for Tabussen/Ultra. ResRobot is Sweden's national public transport API covering all operators including Länstrafiken Västerbotten.

Coverage:

• Ultra (Umeå local bus traffic)


• Länstrafiken Västerbotten (regional buses)


• Connections to/from other Swedish regions


• Train connections where applicable

Commands

1. Search Location

Search for stops, stations, or points of interest.

./search-location.sh <query> [limit]

Argument

Description

query	Location name to search for (append ? for fuzzy search)
limit	Number of results to show (default: 5, max: 10)

Output includes:

• ID - The stop identifier (use this in journey search)
• Name - Official name of the stop
• Coordinates - Latitude, longitude
• Weight - Traffic volume indicator (higher = more traffic)

Search tips:

• Use ? suffix for fuzzy/partial matching: "Vasaplan?"
• Exact search without ?: "Vasaplan"
• Include municipality for precision: "Umeå Vasaplan"

2. Journey Search

Plan a journey between two locations using their IDs.

./journey.sh <from-id> <to-id> [datetime] [mode]

Argument

Description

from-id	Origin stop ID (from search)
to-id	Destination stop ID
datetime	Optional: "18:30", "tomorrow 09:00", "2026-01-28 14:00"
mode	Optional: "depart" (default) or "arrive"

Coordinate-based search:

./journey.sh "63.825#20.263" <to-id> [datetime] [mode]

Use lat#lon format for coordinates (WGS84 decimal degrees).

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Understanding User Time Intent

Before searching, understand what the user wants:

Intent Types

User Says

Intent

How to Query

"now", "next bus", "how do I get to"	Travel Now	No datetime parameter
"in 30 minutes", "in 1 hour"	Depart Later	Calculate time, use depart mode
"around 15:00", "sometime afternoon"	Around Time	Query with offset (see below)
"arrive by 18:00", "need to be there at 9"	Arrive By	Use arrive mode
"tomorrow morning", "on Friday at 10"	Future Time	Use specific datetime

Handling "Around Time" Queries

When user wants options "around" a time, query 15-30 minutes earlier to show options before and after:

# User: "I want to travel around 15:00"
# Query at 14:30 to get options spanning 14:30-16:00+
./journey.sh ... "14:30" depart

Relative Time Calculations

Convert relative times to absolute:

User Says

Current: 14:00

Query Time

"in 30m"	->	"14:30"
"in 1h"	->	"15:00"
"in 2 hours"	->	"16:00"

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LLM Response Formatting

When presenting journey results to users, use these emojis and formatting guidelines.

Emoji Reference

Emoji

Use For

bus	Bus (Tabussen/Ultra)
train	Train
walk	Walking segment
clock	Time/duration
clock1	Departure time
goal	Arrival time
pin	Stop/station
house	Origin (home/start)
target	Destination
warning	Delay or disruption
check	On time
arrows_counterclockwise	Transfer/change

Response Structure

Always include these key elements from the tool output:

When to leave - The actual time user needs to start (including walking)

Walking segments - Distance and time for any walking

Transport departure - When the bus actually leaves

Arrival time - When user reaches destination

Line number and direction - Which bus to take

Example Response Format

For a simple direct journey:

**Leave now** from Vasaplan

**Vasaplan** -> **Universitetet**
Bus 1 (mot Mariehem) departs 09:07
Arrives 09:18 at Universitetet

Total: 11 min

For a journey with transfer:

**Leave at 08:45**

Walk 300m to Vasaplan (~4 min)

**Vasaplan** -> **Umeå C** -> **Skellefteå**

**Leg 1:**
Bus 1 departs 08:51
Arrives Umeå C 09:05

Transfer at Umeå C (15 min)

**Leg 2:**
Bus 100 (mot Skellefteå) departs 09:20
Arrives Skellefteå busstation 11:45

Total: 3h | 1 change

Walking Segment Details

Always show walking details:

• Distance in meters


• Include walking in the "leave time" calculation


• Walk time estimate: ~100m per minute (normal walking speed)

Presenting Multiple Options

When showing journey options, make timing crystal clear:

I found 3 options for you:

**Option 1 - Leave now (09:00)** Recommended
Walk 5 min -> Bus 1 at 09:07 -> arrives 09:25
Total: 25 min

**Option 2 - Leave in 15m (09:15)**
Walk 5 min -> Bus 1 at 09:22 -> arrives 09:40
Total: 25 min

**Option 3 - Leave in 30m (09:30)**
Walk 5 min -> Bus 8 at 09:37 -> arrives 09:48
Total: 18 min | Faster but later departure

Which works best for you?

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LLM Workflow: How to Plan a Trip

Follow this workflow when a user asks for a trip:

Step 1: Understand Time Intent

Parse what the user wants:

• "How do I get to..." -> Travel now


• "I need to be there at 18:00" -> Arrive mode


• "Sometime around 3pm" -> Query 14:30, show range


• "In about an hour" -> Calculate from current time

Step 2: Search for Both Locations

Search for origin and destination separately:

./search-location.sh "Vasaplan?"
./search-location.sh "Universitetet?"

Step 3: Validate Search Results

Check each result carefully:

Exact or close match? - If the name matches what the user asked for, proceed.

Multiple results returned? - The script shows up to 10 matches. If the first result isn't clearly correct, ask the user to confirm.

Name significantly different? - If user asked for "university" and result shows "Umeå Universitet", confirm with user.

No results found? - Try alternative strategies (see below).

Step 4: Handle Ambiguous or Failed Searches

When results don't match or are ambiguous, ask clarifying questions:

I searched for "centrum" and found multiple locations:
1. Umeå Vasaplan (central bus hub)
2. Skellefteå centrum
3. Lycksele centrum

Which one did you mean?

When no results are found, try these strategies:

Try with city name:

# If "Storgatan 10" fails, try:
   ./search-location.sh "Storgatan 10, Umeå?"

Try common variations:

# "Universitetet" -> "Umeå universitet"
   # "Sjukhuset" -> "NUS" or "Norrlands universitetssjukhus"

Use fuzzy search (add ?):

./search-location.sh "univ?"

Step 5: Execute Journey Search

Once you have confirmed IDs for both locations:

./journey.sh <from-id> <to-id> [datetime] [mode]

Step 6: Format Response

Use the formatting guide above to present results clearly. Always use actual numbers from the tool output - never estimate or speculate.

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Query Formatting Rules

The search API is sensitive to formatting. Follow these rules:

Common Stop Names in Umeå

User Says

Search For

"Vasaplan", "centrum"	"Umeå Vasaplan?"
"Universitetet", "uni"	"Umeå universitet?"
"NUS", "sjukhuset"	"Norrlands universitetssjukhus?"
"Ikea"	"IKEA Umeå?"
"Flygplatsen"	"Umeå Airport?"
"Järnvägsstationen", "tåget"	"Umeå centralstation?"

Regional Destinations

Destination

Search For

Skellefteå	"Skellefteå busstation?"
Lycksele	"Lycksele busstation?"
Vindeln	"Vindeln station?"
Robertsfors	"Robertsfors centrum?"
Holmsund	"Holmsund centrum?"

Street Addresses

Include city name for better accuracy:

./search-location.sh "Storgatan 25, Umeå?"
./search-location.sh "Kungsgatan 10, Skellefteå?"

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Examples

Example 1: Travel Now (Umeå Local)

User: "How do I get from Vasaplan to NUS?"

./search-location.sh "Umeå Vasaplan"
./search-location.sh "NUS?"
./journey.sh 740020116 740023840

Response:

**Leave now** from Vasaplan

**Vasaplan** -> **Universitetssjukhuset**
Bus 8 (mot Lyktvägen) departs 11:01
Arrives 11:06

Total: 5 min | Direct, no changes

Example 2: Regional Journey

User: "I need to get to Skellefteå from Umeå tomorrow at 8"

./search-location.sh "Umeå Vasaplan"
./search-location.sh "Skellefteå?"
./journey.sh 740020116 740000053 "tomorrow 08:00"

Response:

**Depart tomorrow at 08:04** from Vasaplan

Walk 766m to Umeå Busstation (~11 min)

**Umeå Busstation** -> **Skellefteå busstation**
Bus 20 (Länstrafik mot Haparanda) departs 08:15
Arrives 10:40 at Skellefteå busstation

Total: 2h 36min | Direct (with walk)

Example 3: Arrive By Time

User: "I need to be at NUS by 08:00 tomorrow"

./search-location.sh "Umeå Vasaplan"
./search-location.sh "NUS?"
./journey.sh 740020116 740023840 "tomorrow 08:00" arrive

Response:

**Arrive by 08:00** at NUS

**Vasaplan** -> **Universitetssjukhuset**
Bus 9 departs **07:51**
Arrives **07:56** - 4 min buffer

Leave Vasaplan by 07:51 to arrive on time!

Example 4: From Address/Coordinates

User: "I'm at Storgatan 50 in Umeå, how do I get to IKEA?"

./search-location.sh "Storgatan 50, Umeå?"
# If no result, use coordinates
./journey.sh "63.826#20.263" 740066123

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DateTime Formats

All times are Swedish local time (CET/CEST).

Format

Example

Meaning

_(empty)_		Travel now
HH:MM	"08:30"	Today at 08:30
tomorrow HH:MM	"tomorrow 09:00"	Tomorrow at 09:00
YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM	"2026-01-28 14:00"	Specific date

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Output Format

Journey Option (Raw Tool Output)

==============================================================
OPTION 1: Vasaplan -> Universitetet
==============================================================
Date:    2026-01-28
Depart:  09:04
Arrive:  09:12
Changes: 0

LEGS:
  -> BUS Länstrafik - Buss 1
    From: 09:04 Vasaplan (Umeå kn)
    To:   09:12 Universitetet (Umeå kn)
    Direction: mot Mariehem

Transport Types

Type	Description

BUS	Tabussen/Ultra/Länstrafik bus
JLT	Regional bus (Länstrafik)
JRE	Regional train
WALK	Walking segment

Operators in Västerbotten

Operator

Description

Länstrafiken Västerbotten	Regional and local buses
Ultra	Umeå local traffic (part of Länstrafiken)
SJ	Long-distance trains
Norrtåg	Regional trains

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Error Handling

"No locations found"

The search returned no results.

Strategies:

Check spelling (Swedish: å, ä, ö)

Try with city name suffix

Use fuzzy search (add ?)

Try common alternative names

Ask user for clarification

"No journeys found"

No routes available.

Strategies:

Check if service operates at that hour (late night limited)

Try different departure time

Suggest alternative nearby stops

Note that some regional routes have limited frequency

Common Issues

Issue

Solution

"Vasaplan" returns multiple	Use "Umeå Vasaplan"
Stop not found	Try fuzzy search with ?
No late-night routes	Ultra has limited night service
Long wait times	Regional routes may be hourly

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Quick Reference

Popular Umeå Stops (Ultra)

Stop

ID

Notes

Vasaplan	740020116	Central hub
Universitetssjukhuset (NUS)	740023840	Hospital
Universum	740026881	University area
Umeå Busstation	-	Regional bus departures
Västerslätt Centrum	740045407	Western suburb

Key Regional Stops

Stop

ID

Notes

Skellefteå busstation	740000053	Regional hub
Lycksele busstation	-	Inland hub
Vindeln station	-	Train connection
Robertsfors centrum	-	Coastal route

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API Details (For Script Development)

This skill uses ResRobot API v2.1 from Trafiklab.

Base URL: **Endpoints:** - Stop lookup: /location.name - Journey planner: /trip **Key Parameters:** - accessId - API key (required) - format - json or xml - originId / destId - Stop IDs - date / time - Travel date/time - searchForArrival` - 1 for arrive-by searches

Get API Key: Register at

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Notes on Västerbotten Traffic

Ultra (Umeå Local)

• Frequent service in central Umeå
• Lines 1-9 are most common
• Night buses (N-lines) on weekends
• Real-time info available in app

Länstrafiken (Regional)

• Line 100: Umeå - Skellefteå (frequent)
• Line 12/20: Coastal routes
• Lines 30-49: Inland routes
• Frequency varies by route

Tips for Users

• Vasaplan is the main hub for both Ultra and regional
• Many regional buses depart from Vasaplan, not train station
• Train station (Umeå C) is separate from bus station
• IKEA and Avion have good bus connections

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When to Ask Clarifying Questions

Always ask when:

Search returns no results:

- "I couldn't find [location]. Could you provide more details?"

Multiple plausible matches:

- "I found several stops matching '[query]': [list]. Which one?"

Result name very different from query:

- "You asked for '[user query]' but I found '[result name]'. Is this correct?"

User request is vague:

- "From where in Umeå? Vasaplan (central), or another location?"

Time is unclear:

- "When do you want to travel? Now, or at a specific time?"