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The Well-Informed Bus Rider

A lot of well-used transit systems have a few things in common:  they are easy to understand and use because they have information that is readily accessible.  The importance of readily available schedule and route information can’t be overstated.  Here’s a few grand examples:

  1. Up-and-coming in the world of trip planning, is Google Transit. Google Transit is like the MapQuest of transit trip planning.  You specify your trip parameters (i.e. from University of Montana to Missoula International Airport, arriving by 6:45 AM) and Google returns the different trip options.  The service has expanded rapidly, and will surely be an industry standard in a matter of time.
  2. Schedule information in a huge variety of formats is catches people in a way that is most convenient to them.  This obviously includes, but goes beyond, braille and large print schedules.  Schedule data should be presented though mobile web interfaces accessible via cell phone and BlackBerry and through schedules and route maps available for download to iPods and PDAs.
  3. Telephone-based schedule information (through the 511 traveler information hotline) provides information to riders who are blind, and also to sighted riders who prefer an audio interface.
  4. Real-time information takes the wait out of waiting for the bus.  GPS tracking devices on buses can give real-time arrival information to keep you in your warm office a few minutes longer if a bus is going to be late.
  5. You’re idea here!  Agencies like TriMet in Portland are making their schedule information available to developers.  The theory is that ambitious people will use the schedule information to create software or web interfaces that suit their needs.

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 3rd, 2007 at 9:24 pm and is filed under Information Systems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “The Well-Informed Bus Rider”

  1. danielnairn Says:
    December 5th, 2007 at 11:10 am

    Thanks for cluing me in to Google Transit. I use Gmaps all the time, but I had no idea that the transit function even existed. I agree that it has the potential to revolutionize public transportation. This summer my wife and I struggled quite a bit to figure out the bus network in Victoria, B.C. for just a half hour trip. The only booklet we found was just an addendum, and everyone we asked seem to tell us to take a different line. Finally, we just found a bus, got on, and asked the driver where to go. He was fortunately very patient with us. It was pretty convoluted, but we made it there eventually. If I only knew of Google Transit!

    Missoula isn’t available yet. Do you know how to get this set up?

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