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ITA Software, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, develops software for the travel and airline industry.

The web source provides precise information about the time in a definite place. Eastern Time, time in Edinburgh, Dublin, Bern, Rome, Los Angeles, New York, etc. - Read more

Live transit updates in Google Maps

Google Maps now presents live transit updates for four U.S. cities and two European cities: Boston, Portland, Ore., San Diego, San Francisco, Madrid and Turin. This feature appeared at maps.google.com and in Google Maps for Android about a month ago.

Screenshot and video below. Here’s the announcement from the Official Google Blog.

The Google Transit Partner Program site has information on live transit updates.

Detour information for transit appearing in Google Maps

It seems that Google Maps is testing something new: temporary detour information.

See these results for TriMet:

I’m assuming the information is collected through TriMet’s Web Services API.  There are several calls for requesting current detour information.

Does anyone know if this is being tested for other agencies?

Agency name and URL in one: marintransit.org

On a recent trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, I saw a great example of a bus wrap.

In a Marin Transit’s vehicle exterior, the marintransit.org web-address (URL) was used as primary text.  The text serves double-duty to show the web-address and the service name.

One of the reasons this works so well is that, in the logo, the the agency name is presented similarly to how we are accustomed to see URLs presented — all lower-case, and with minimal space between the two words.

Here’s an image the side of the bus.

(From Wikimedia Commons)

Here’s an enlarged version to compensate for the perspective.

Subtle, and thoughtful.  The overall design stays clean.
The careful application of text calls attention to the brand and makes the web-address memorable.  Nice job, Marin Transit!

Human Transit repost: the car vs. personal technology (quote of the week)

I missed re-posting this from Human Transit in June:

“Previous generations found freedom and flexibility through the car.  But Generation Ys find their freedom and flexibility by staying connected to their friends, family and workplaces through the various information devices – like their laptops, or iphones.

“They can stay connected on a bus or a train. They can bring the office with them. They can bring their study with them. They can bring their friends with them. They can’t if they’re driving.”

– Peter Newman, Curtin University, Perth, Australia, quoted in the West Australian

Google Maps 5.7 for Android adds Transit Navigation (beta)

A new “transit navigation” feature in Google Maps 5.7 for Android helps unfamiliar riders use transit systems and helps familiar riders nap, read, or otherwise divert their attention.  The feature allows passengers to follow their journey along the planned route, and notifies them when to get off, either to tranfer or to arrive at their destination.

“Transit Navigation uses GPS to determine your current location along your route and alerts you when it’s time to get off or make a transfer,” said Google software engineer Chris Van Der Westhuizen. “This is particularly helpful if you’re in a city where you don’t speak the language and can’t read the route maps or understand the announcements.”

Since the feature uses GPS to determine locations, it only works for above-ground transit, not subways.

The transit navigation feature works in the background: users can browse the web, make phone calls, and use other applications while still receiving alerts.

Transit navigation is another way in which mapping features for Android have surpassed features available on other platforms.  Google Maps for Android features include free turn-by-turn driving directions, transit navigation, 3D view, MyMaps and other unique features.  As an iPhone user, I’m hoping that some of these features will find their way into the Maps application on the iPhone.  In the meantime, I use Google Maps through my phone’s web-browser for biking directions.

The transit navigation feature appears to have generated a fair amount of press, which is great for public transportation.

Here’s more information: from the Official Google blog, and the Google Maps for mobile page.  Below is a nice video that introduces the transit navigation feature.

Google Transit: More excessively lengthy intercity itineraries

Google Transit continues to slowly but consistently improve in response to requests from partner transit agencies and end users.  For example, the ability to select a preferred mode and type of itinerary (fewer transfers, less walking, etc.).  See this earlier blog post on this feature.

Still, there are issues that remain.  For intercity transit trips, Google Maps frequently returns long itineraries that could be significantly shortened by walking or driving only a few additional miles.

I’ve posted on this issue before, here.  This blog post shows an additional example as described by Matthew Barnes, the Intercity Program Coordinator at the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Public Transportation division.

Scenario: A potential transit passenger in Redmond, Oregon is using Google Transit to look for transit options to get to Chemult, Oregon. Not knowing anything about the location of available transit services and stops the potential passenger enters Redmond, OR as the trip origin and Chemult, OR as the trip destination.

Google Transit returns a 12+ hour travel option with three different transit agencies and considerable out of direction travel. From this result, clearly there is no “reasonable” transit available between Redmond and Chemult. The potential transit passenger resigns herself to driving alone.

But wait, by shifting the origin by just 2 miles suddenly there is a transit option with no transfers that takes only two hours.  It looks like Google Transit is adding nine and a half hours to this trip in order to save passengers from a two mile trip to transit.

Click an image or link below to see the full itinerary in Google Maps.

Redmond to Chemult, Oregon:

Redmond Airport to Chemult, Oregon (origin is ~2 miles from previous example):

Press release: Yuba-Sutter Transit goes live with Google Transit trip planner

Trillium recommends for our clients to conduct press outreach following the launch of Google Transit.  Yuba-Sutter Transit provides a great example of a press release disseminated about two weeks after Google Transit launched for the agency.

25-April-2011 — Yuba-Sutter Transit’s local and Sacramento route and schedule information is now included on Google Transit and Google’s Trip Planner is now available on Yuba-Sutter Transit’s website. Passengers provide the trip origin, destination and travel time and Google Transit does the rest. The Yuba-Sutter Transit Trip Planner will provide transit options for trips anywhere in the Marysville/Yuba City urban area and throughout the greater Sacramento area.

From the Yuba-Sutter Transit home page at www.yubasuttertransit.com, simply enter the necessary information in the Trip Planner by either street address, cross streets or major landmarks along with the trip date and desired arrival or departure times – for same day service or many weeks in advance. The Trip Planner will then display several options from which to choose. Each option will include directions to and from the nearest bus stop; applicable route numbers including any transfer information; and, total travel times for each trip option.

Yuba-Sutter Transit offers fixed route service in the local area and to downtown Sacramento, but Google Transit includes one-stop transfer information for trips throughout the region as Sacramento Regional Transit, Yolo County Transit and others are included in the Trip Planner. As a result, potential riders no longer need to consult bus and rail schedules from two or three different transit operators. In fact, Google Transit will even provide transit options for trips well outside of the region (to the Bay Area and beyond) by way of Amtrak connections in downtown Sacramento.

This exciting new tool was made possible through a Caltrans program to help smaller transit agencies provide convenient and accessible forms of transit schedule information. Such information on transit options improves the overall quality of service and encourages casual users, non-locals and social service agencies as well as regular transit riders to make greater use of public transit services.

Contact Keith Martin at (530) 634-6880 for more information.

Google Map Maker

Google Map Maker became available for the United States this week.  Formerly Google Map Maker was available for many other countries but not the United States.

Google Map Maker makes Google Maps more like a wiki, in the style of OpenStreetMap.  This makes it possible for users to edit places, hours, roads, and buildings.  It’s even possible to add bike lanes.

There is an approval process for changes, which considers input from other users.

This development will be useful for transit agencies that wish to fine-tune user experience for Google Transit by making local landmark and road information more accurate.

More information is available in a post on the Official Google Blog.

An air/land transportation partnership

There is growing recognition that multi-modal travel information and booking systems benefit transportation providers and their passengers.  This may take the form of a multi-modal trip planner that helps passengers and providers more efficiently utilize available resources.  This can help to solve a costly last-mile problem.

There’s a last mile to consider for air travel.  Air travelers often end up renting cars even though local transit options are available.  Some airlines make an effort to make transit information more available to their customers.  I am a frequent Alaska/Horizon Airlines traveler.  On the airline’s ticket and itinerary pages, local transit information is included for some destinations (I am thinking particularly of the San Francisco Bay Area).

Continental Airlines has taken the ground and air interconnection a step further.  Some Amtrak services are available as codeshare “flights” in Continental’s reservations system.  Here’s more information from the Continental Airlines website:

Continental Airlines and Amtrak have teamed up to provide the ultimate in seamless travel. Through an air/rail codeshare, Amtrak will provide connecting service on Regional and Keystone trains from Philadelphia, PA; Wilmington, DE; Stamford, CT and New Haven, CT to Newark International Airport and then on to anywhere Continental Airlines flies.

Train passengers can earn Continental frequent flier reward miles for travel on Amtrak services.  Airport lounge benefits also apply at the Amtrak station.

Screenshot of Amtrak codeshare "flight" on Continental Airlines website.

I envision future transportation systems and booking will transition from mode-specificity to allow passengers to choose the most appropriate and affordable options: air, intercity bus and rail, local transit, and car and bikeshare.