Google Transit for Metro?

First, the news: Google Transit and Metro are still in talks to bring the popular online service to Los Angeles County. Google Transit is a web-based service that allows users to plan transit trips as the example above shows. It's something that Metro already offers on its website, but a feature that some people say Google does better.

Now, the background.

One of the most fascinating ongoing stories in the world of transportation, I think, is the use of technology to relay real-time information to users. This runs the gamut from trying to give motorists immediate information on freeway accidents to using cell phones to tell someone the bus he's waiting for has broken down.

As part of that effort, transit agencies around the world have been trying to create web-based tools that help riders -- and potential riders -- figure out how to get from Point A to Point B using buses and trains. It's a big deal, especially in big regions such as the Southland where many people (including me) couldn't begin to tell you exactly which buses go where.

Metro, the largest transit provider in Los Angeles County, has for several years had a trip planner on its website. In fact, it's the most popular feature on the website, according to the agency. There's also a stripped down version of the planner that works on cell phones.

The web search and advertising giant Google has recently jumped into the game with a feature called Google Transit. In some areas, if you do a search for directions on Google maps, you will also get directions to reach your destination via mass transit.

Several large agencies in California have signed up with Google, including OCTA in Orange County, the largest transit agencies in the Bay Area including BART and Caltrain and the MTS in San Diego. The Burbank bus system is also featured on Google Transit.

Metro has been talking with Google for months and the MetroriderLA blog even reported in April that Google Transit was imminent. Well, not so fast. "We're still talking to them," Marc Littman, a Metro spokesman, told me yesterday afternoon. "There is no contract."

Littman declined to comment otherwise. Here's what the Google press office emailed me:

"We're continually working with several transit agencies across the country (and internationally) to bring their schedules to Google Transit. Our goal is ultimately to provide schedules and stop/station data for every transit agency; basically, whenever a user searches for (driving) directions, we want a "Take Public Transit" link to appear to show the alternative options available. Being able to find an agency's stops and schedules via Google Maps helps introduce the convenience of public transportation to people who did not previously consider it a viable option. Having a major city like Los Angeles participate would be a great benefit for both residents and tourists/visitors. Elsewhere in the region, we currently provide trip-planning for Burbank Bus and OCTA."

Two sources, speaking on background, said there are several issues that need to be resolved. One is boring and involves data formatting. The other is not and involves whether Google intends to make money from advertising placed on the maps. Like all transit agencies, Metro is cash-strapped and looking for new revenue and apparently doesn't want to give proprietary information to a firm that may profit.

As for Google Transit, I spent some time playing around with it yesterday and came away mostly impressed. It's quick -- quicker than the Metro trip planner. And to have all that information housed on one website is pretty convenient.

Some quibbles: I thought the directions were sometimes less than clear. For example, I asked the site to provide bus directions from Magnolia Boulevard and San Fernando Road in downtown Burbank to the Burbank airport. The directions were to take one bus to the Burbank Metrolink station and switch to the "Empire Building" bus line, which was followed by this odd note: "Direction -- Arrive at Metrolink station."

And that means what exactly? Catch a bus at the Metrolink station that's going to the Metrolink station?

I was also underwhelmed by Google Transit on my beloved and highly intelligent iPhone. There is a simplified version of Google Transit for phones, but the directions I asked for did not include a map. Yes, I could have switched over to the phone's Google map feature, but I shouldn't have to go to two different places on the phone, particulary two places powered by Google.

I asked the Google press office about this also and they replied that  Google Transit is currently available for Blackberry and Java-based phones (here's a link to the announcement from Google) and that Google is working to bring it to more platforms. Note to Google: the 2.0 version of the iPhone comes out next week and is expected to sell like hotcakes.

What do you think Bottleneckers? Google Transit? Are you a believer? A skeptic? The comment board awaits your wisdom....

--Steve Hymon

Comments

[ForceChange.com]

NYC just got google transit, time for LA! Any word on if/when it's coming?

[Kevin]

I would use the metro so much more if google gave the directions. I was trying to plan a trip yesterday on metro's trip planner and it took me 30 minutes to establish that it wasn't going to work.

I was experimenting with google's trip planner in qualifying cities and it is easy to use and quick.

Plus if I could use it on my iPhone... I would be taking the metro as much as possible.

[Mike]

Google is fast, easy and having all the data in one place is nice. That said, no one can provide better itineraries and schedules than the transit provider itsself.

First of all, Google will give bizzare directions at times, especially when involving walking- such as: walking across multi-lane highways and in some cases even over water! Also, when Google maps walking directions, they don't have step by step walking directions and show you walking through buildings, landmarks, etc. It basically draws a line between the origin and destination, paying no attention to streets.

In addition, Google does not display bus/rail disruptions or other alerts related to your trip. It does not give users options to plan trips by Walking Distance or Minimize Trips by Transfer Time, Walking Distance or Transfers. Furthermore Google doesn't recognize as many locations as the transit provider's tripplanner and may have outdated data.

Don't get me wrong, I think Google Transit is great, but for more detailed itineraries I will use the transit companies trip planner.

[Allen]

Google needs some grown ups who remember when transit systems were not government funded. They are usually 2-4 generations away from actualization of producing industrial strength software.

Try communicating with one of them on a personal level they are so insular it's incredible. They have receptionists that have graduate degrees just to swish the public away..

Google also has the ability to infest your computer if they disagree with you. Their google android project is 2-4 generations from completion who really needs more from them than a search engine. One of the grown ups probably thought of guugle ads revenue.

[randy]

Metro's bus and rail schedules are "proprietary"? Huh? Last I checked they are distributed on paper, over the phone, on the web, and created from start to finish, including the software systems used to maintain the data, with taxpayer money. That doesn't seem like something that can be defined at "proprietary". Move into the current century Metro, and hand it over to Google. A transit agency so proud of its poor product that it is frightened of someone else offering to improve it for free? Yeah, sure, that's what we pay them for....one can only shake their head at yet another brilliantly dumb notion, public transit information is "proprietary". Metro gives away real time traffic data for free http://www.riits.net/index.html - why should Google Transit be any different? Guess car drivers still outrank bus riders - must be that sales tax income from the high price of gas clouding their vision.

[Simon]

If Metro's trip planner was nice to use, I could imagine them saying no to google and keeping the ad revenue for themselves, but the Metro trip planner is awful.

Yes, it does the job, mostly, but it's flaky as hell and almost impossible for a newbie to use. You have to learn all sorts of stupid tricks, like knowing that for some reason the Universal City subway stop is called "University City Sta" in the planner. It also does a shoddy job of telling you how long a commute is gonna take.

I say bring on Google. Yes Google's system isn't perfect, but it's essentially free and would let metro save money on bandwidth, upkeep, and a bunch of other web costs while offering superior service.

[Paul]

Google Maps is the best thing since sliced bread. It's not Google's fault that Apple is dumb and only allows limited bits of AJAX to work on their phones.

[Damon]

To give the OC perspective, I only use Google transit if I plan to take the bus somewhere; the OCTA trip planner is vastly inferior. I have also used Google transit with great results when in the bay area on business.

The only problems I have encountered are:

1) Metrolink fares are still not currently displayed
2) The trip planner will sometimes tell you to take buses even when taking Metrolink would save you a significant amount of time.

BTW, if you are ever dismayed to find that the timetables on OCTA signs don't match what you were given on Google maps, don't worry; the signs are what's wrong.

[shaun]

While I'm mostly appreciative of this transit system from Google (thank you Google), I too have a couple peeves to point out...

1. Google often overestimates the walking speed of the average human

2. While the approximations are usually close to the reality, there have been many times that arrival time Google provides is incorrect (result = missed bus). It would be nice if they could show (in addition to their own?) the official arrival times provided by the respective public transits

Nice to know I'm not the only one keeping up on these systems. They're very impressive and should be very helpful to many people in the future. By the way, some Universities already have their own online transit systems that provide real time data, and many of them are very impressive. Example: http://www.its.washington.edu/projects/busview_overview.html

[P.J.]

In the early days of Google Maps, my frustration chiefly arose from the bizarre and sometimes nonsensical driving routes that the system mapped out - with no option in place to test alternate routes. This improved greatly with the click-and-drag feature Google Maps now uses, although the traffic layer is still rather slow on the uptake.

I don't bother with the map feature at Metro.net; it's a joke. The trip planner also suffers from constant crashes, something I don't *think* would carry over into Google (in the long term). I think that Google's interface promises a lot more user-friendliness, but I'd want to know its flexibility: to option for Metro-only or bus-only routes, for example. Click-and-drag for multiple-stop trips? If either Google or Metro.net can manage that... HOT.

BTW is Google (or Metro) even thinking about a real-time bus/train locator by GPS, an extension of the marginally-helpful TransiTV?