Bringing Google Transit to L.A.

Google maps makes driving around L.A. super easy. If only we had a similar app for public transit....

Actually, Google does have a public transit app -- It's just not available for L.A. -- yet. Google Transit -- which seamlessly links up walking to various public transit modes -- has been helping people from Tokyo to Portland get around. Check out how it works via this short video:

My current goal's to bring Google Transit to L.A.

Why now? According to WorldChanging, Google Transit posed a challenge at the recent TransITech conference in Anaheim to get your city on Google Transit by Earth Day 2008.

That target date seems a bit unrealistic, considering it's only about a month away. On the other hand, since Google's put together the system, it seems all transit agencies have to do is get their transit info to Google to put together. As WorldChanging points out, "It's a win for the transit agencies, too, because their specialized trip-planner websites are all made with expensive proprietary software, while Google's system is free and they publish their API."

In fact, a couple local-ish transit systems -- the Burbank Bus and the OCTA -- are already on Google Transit. However, Metro's not on there -- nor are the Culver City Bus or the Big Blue Bus or many of our other numerous transit systems that link up to create the super-complicated public transportation network we have in L.A.

For the newbie transit taker, navigating between the different systems can seem very daunting -- even scary enough as to be forbidding. Yes, we have Metro Trip Planner, which does have info from various local transit agencies. However, this app has a lot of glitches, as anyone who's used it frequently knows. Trip Planner's also not particularly user friendly, especially when compared to the super simple way Google Transit lets you find alternate routes, change departure or arrival times, etc.

As a first step in my quest to Google Transit-fy L.A., I called up Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus. Linda Gamberg, BBB's marketing & public information coordinator, said that she'd coincidentally just gotten an email from Google Transit, and although she wasn't very familiar with the app yet, she'd find out more. Somewhat serendipitously, Big Blue Bus has just begun work on a website overhaul (target date for launch: Jan. 2009) -- which includes plans for a more user-friendly trip planner.

Hopefully the BBB and Google Transit can work together, perhaps saving both time and money while giving transit riders a great tool. Meanwhile, I'm wondering why more transit systems haven't gotten on the Google Transit bandwagon already, mainly because working with Google Transit seems a lot easier than developing their own systems from scratch....  I'll try to find out what exactly it takes to get a transit system on Google Transit, and what the holdup is....

Of course, BBB's info alone won't make Google Transit super effective for L.A., since many riders use multiple transit systems to get around. Next up -- Finding out if Metro's got plans to get on Google Transit -- even if it's not mentioned in the draft of Metro's Long Range Plans. If there are Metro or other transit agency peeps reading this -- Here's how cities can get in touch with Google Transit.

Comments

[Kate]

This sounds great. Now, if only there were a way to find out online what the location and ETA of my bus is, so that I'm not standing at the stop waiting for something that's not going to show up!

[jrb]

That would certainly be an improvement over MTA's "Trip Planner". They could take the money they spend keeping that trip planner going and spend it on something useful.

[Francisco]

Metrolink is already hard at work to meet the Earth Day deadline to have our schedule information available on Google Transit.

[Dan W.]

This is actually a real improvement if it goes through.

Many people who use automobiles just assume that they have other alternatives to get where they want to go.

My friend, Paul, lives near Burbank & Woodman. At a meeting near Highland & Santa Monica he stated he had to use a car to get to the event because he lived in the Valley. He had no idea the 156 bus goes directly from his front door to where he was meeting.

The MTA doesn't do a particularly good job of promoting its own service. People who just assume they cannot get where they need to get to by transit (and in some cases really don't want to know there is alternative) may have their eyes opened.

If this service were of quality, Google Transit could present both the driving and transit alternative to going from Place A to Place B.

[Nick]

The main reason a lot of transit systems are not yet up on Google Transit is because the system is still new. Last time I checked, they were in beta testing so they were adding a few metro areas every few months to built stability into the app.

I do thin that it is possible to have the google transit system tell you how long it will take for your bus to show up. They have another system in beta which tracks cabs and shuttle services in various cities which have GPS units. http://labs.google.com/ridefinder

[Peter]

i wonder if private companies will be able to use google transit?

for instance, all those bus companies that run between china towns in boston and new york - can they be integrated into google transit?

and will greyhound and company be able to use google transit?

i'd love to see airlines be able to use google transit, too - like i think they do in Japan.

[Anand]

This is what transit agencies need to provide Google Transit:
http://code.google.com/transit/spec/transit_feed_specification.html