A look at Google Transit
How it will make metro travel planning easier
January 3rd, 2007
I hate using the 511.org Trip Planner, which is the only integrated solution for mass transit trip planning in San Francisco. The interface and functionality can be maddening–maps are displayed separately from directions, locations can’t be saved, and the maps are horrible to navigate around in. I always end up using a combination of 511.org and Google Maps in order to fully plan out my trips.
Enter Google Transit, which may be the saviour for people that are tortured daily by mediocre local mass transit planning sites.
The interface for Transit is identical to Maps: you simply type in the origin and destination, and Google calculates the best route. In this case, however, Google assumes that you can use the local transit system. The result are directions to your destination broken out into walking and transit segments.
A nice feature is that Transit allows you to choose between different transit times–for example, you can either choose to board the bus at 1pm, or earlier at 12:30pm. The map and directions update instantly, complete with estimates of walking times.
Google Transit currently works on a few select transit systems, including Portland’s TriMet, Orange County’s OCTA, and Honolulu’s TheBus. I’m definitely going to keep my eye on Transit as it expands to other cities.
And, maybe, I’ll just be rid of 511.org for good.
I hate using the 511.org Trip Planner, which is the only integrated solution for mass transit trip planning in San Francisco. The interface and functionality can be maddening–maps are displayed separately from directions, locations can’t be saved, and the maps are horrible to navigate around in. I always end up using a combination of 511.org and Google Maps in order to fully plan out my trips.
Enter Google Transit, which may be the saviour for people that are tortured daily by mediocre local mass transit planning sites.
The interface for Transit is identical to Maps: you simply type in the origin and destination, and Google calculates the best route. In this case, however, Google assumes that you can use the local transit system. The result are directions to your destination broken out into walking and transit segments.
A nice feature is that Transit allows you to choose between different transit times–for example, you can either choose to board the bus at 1pm, or earlier at 12:30pm. The map and directions update instantly, complete with estimates of walking times.
Google Transit currently works on a few select transit systems, including Portland’s TriMet, Orange County’s OCTA, and Honolulu’s TheBus. I’m definitely going to keep my eye on Transit as it expands to other cities.
And, maybe, I’ll just be rid of 511.org for good.
