Metro goes mobile: Trip Planner on your celly

Got a cell with web access? Now you can get Metro info on handheld electronics at metro.net/mobile.

No longer will you need a laptop to figure out your route via Trip Planner, find maps, or if you're a newbie, check out fares. Metro recommends using the free Opera Mini Browser, which you can download at metro.net/mobile; the app should work on 90% of handheld devices.

I am one of the late-adopter 10% that doesn't have a celly that can access the web, but aaron at MetroRiderLA says the app works great on his Helio Ocean, even using the regular Helio browser.

Of course, a new app'll always inspire requests for -- more new apps. Andy Sternberg at LAist wants Metro to go one step further to "hire NextBus, which offers real-time transit info on the fly (via GPS) for public systems such as SF Muni."

I don't even have a phone that'd work for what we got, but I'm still interested in bringing Clever Commute to LA. As covered in the NY Times yesterday, Clever Commute distributes real-time traffic updates from transit riders (currently in the NY-NJ area) so you can hear about train and bus delays that they are witnessing firsthand.

Last but not least: I managed to convince one visitor to LA to go car-free! Ryanne saved about $50 in cab fare by going Metro from LAX via the subway; she got to downtown LA in an hour during rush hour, and made a vlog about it to encourage you to do the same --

Photo courtesy of Andy Sternberg

Comments

[Don]

I actually had cause to use it this morning when I realized while on the 720 bus that I had incorrectly assumed that my physical therapist's office was near Santa Monica (it is, in fact, near Ocean Park).

The site lays out rather poorly on the iPhone and worse still, it doesn't provide access to any of the custom routings like saying that you're willing to walk more than 1/3 mile at a stretch. I ended up going to bigbluebus.com to see the route mappings there to see how to get from Wilshire to Ocean Park (BBB#14).

[Siel]

Hmmm.... A lil annoying about not being able to customize -- though I have to say I never change that 1/3 mile default when I use mta.net. But if the iPhone lets you see BBB's website no prob, then I'm guessing you can use the regular mta.net site no prob? I wonder if the popularity of iPhones and other v. web capable electronics will end up making things like metro.net/mobile unnecessary before they get popular --

[James]

As a regular user of mta.net's trip planner, I have to say that it is lacking. It doesn't always give you the best information. I've had it ingore routes, and intersections that I knew existed, yet they wouldn't come up on a trip planner search.

You can however e-mail mta and get them to snail mail you a system map, (which they will at no charge), which will help you get around the shortcomings mta's trip planner. You can refer to the system map and find an intersection or route that it WILL recognize, and at least get the times of service, or find out when the last bus is.

[Don]

There's some room for optimization of the experience for a mobile device though... I'll so something with that when I get the new farmers' market site up.

[Siel]

Hey James -- Totally agree Metro.net could improve. When planning a complicated trip, I'll usually have both metro.net plus google maps open to get a sense of how things're working -- and I negotiate both in conjunction with what I already know about the specific bus lines I plan to use.

I wish metro.net was a google maps mashup, so as not to require all this juggling of different windows, but what can you do. My biggest peeve re: metro.net right now is that it'll list Big Blue Bus 10 as an option for people traveling within Santa Monica, when the 10's really a rapid bus that only allows either boarding OR exiting (depending on which direction it's going), no local travel allowed --

[Chris]

Ha. Funny that Metro, being the lazy bums they are... are telling you to use Opera Mini... which passes the buck onto Opera, instead of themeselves designing and maintaining a proper mobile friendly interface.

Bravo.

More MTA incompetence at taxpayers' expense.

[Noinik]

I just dumped Helio. The mobile service was great however I went through 5 Helio Ocean phones. None of them where do to dropping them. They kept freezing up and I would have to take the battery off and then put it on. I would give the Ocean two thumbs down.