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-- TTC eyes Google for planning trips

TTC eyes Google for planning trips

quote:

TTC eyes Google for planning trips Commuters could call up best routes No estimate yet on costs, time frame Mar. 21, 2006. 12:16 PM KEVIN MCGRAN TRANSPORTATION REPORTER Planning a quick trip across town using public transit could one day be a matter of simply Googling the route. Tomorrow, the TTC will consider an offer by the Internet search engine Google, which wants to give commuters free online trip information. Google has asked the TTC for station, stop, schedule and route data to create a trip planner so commuters could input origin and destination points to get the shortest or fastest routes. Google is running a pilot project with Portland (Ore.) Transit. The TTC had looked into doing its own for about $2 million. There are no cost estimates or time frame for the Google deal. "It's a work in progress," said Alice Smith, TTC acting chief marketing officer. "We support trip planning for our customers. We just have to figure out the best way to get there." Smith said the TTC wants to review all technologies for ways to marry systems. For example, a technology providing real-time information on the arrival of the next bus that can be posted at stops might be merged with Google's mapping system. TTC chair Howard Moscoe is not so sure he wants to wait, saying it's too good an idea. "It looks to me like the costs are minimal," he said. "I think we should bring it about rather than wait for the staff to develop all of their systems, because it can happen very quickly." Meanwhile, the TTC will officially unveil elevators today to make the Broadview subway station fully accessible. The elevators allow access from the street level to the eastbound and westbound subway platforms. Other station features include an automatic entrance door, an easier access fare gate, and elevator intercoms and closed-circuit TV. Broadview station was identified as a key candidate for elevators because about 27,000 people use it daily, and it connects to six surface routes. By 2007, 30 of the TTC's 69 subway and Scarborough RT stations will be accessible. The TTC is also adding a "move to the back of the bus" taped audio message to its bus fleet, piggybacking it on an automated stop announcement system being tested. It's an acknowledgement that buses are getting too crowded, said Moscoe. Drivers will be able to press a button to deliver the message

source: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...72154&t=TS_Home

i think its pretty cool, but as other transit blogs have commented, the TTC should think about redesigning its webpage first, so people who arent transit savy can actually use it and not be afraid of it.

Re: TTC eyes Google for planning trips

quote:

Originally posted by smuncky i think its pretty cool, but as other transit blogs have commented, the TTC should think about redesigning its webpage first, so people who arent transit savy can actually use it and not be afraid of it.

agreed +1

anything google does is awesome (with the exception of google answers, i don't know who would actually pay money for someone to do a google search for them?)

I was actually thinking of the exact same solution about 2 months ago.

I was hoping they would do it! I really hope this goes through. THe toughest part about trying to take public transport, is exactly what smunky said. Unless you already know the city, its hard to navigate it. This will also make it much easier for people who need to travel to new places in the city, seperate from our 'daily commute'.

i just read a good article written by steve munro about a larger transit scheme for the GTA region. its a longer read but really worth it if you're into transit or maybe want to see what some of the alternatives are in the future of transit.

here is the direct link: http://www.stevemunro.ca/wp-content...gn2006Final.pdf

and here is the link to the blog itself: http://www.stevemunro.ca/


he discusses lots of neat facts and other things that are related to transit.


ps...

i also found this picture really amusing and i hope some of the fellow transit riders will get a laugh out of it.

HAHAHAHAAA!!! you've got to be kidding me! a ttc a route planning system?? *phew* man that was a good laugh! first of all perhaps the ttc should actually offer more connecting routes rather than a stick to travel on. this is like backyard country. hardly ANYTHING is connected. you're basically f*kd if you want to get anywhere within at least of a 2hour travel window not having a car!

this is something I would definitely use!

I'm still relatively new to the city and have a hard time finding things on that ridiculously huge TTC map :-P

quote:

Originally posted by disko-kandi HAHAHAHAAA!!! you've got to be kidding me! a ttc a route planning system?? *phew* man that was a good laugh! first of all perhaps the ttc should actually offer more connecting routes rather than a stick to travel on. this is like backyard country. hardly ANYTHING is connected. you're basically f*kd if you want to get anywhere within at least of a 2hour travel window not having a car!

lol hardly anything is connected? I admit the TTC may be lacking in some areas, even majorly lacking (eg. airport connection) but its FAR from being "hardly connected"

^5

Fucking AWESOME! I'd use it ALL THE TIME when I'm in the city!

I hope it works out!

Wicked wicked news.

Jem

we have a useful trip planner for hte ottawa bus service

http://www.octranspo.com/Intro_Trip_Planner.htm

something similar to this in toronto would be helpfull

huh?? wow the biggest transport commission doesn't have a trip planning software/webpage???

Where i live (Lava) a city of barely 350k, there's a very elaborate webpage that even connects with the Montreal bus/metro/train routes!

And its been like this for at least 4-5 years if not more.

If you call 416.363.INFO (or is it 393?) they give you directions from where you are, which bus and number to take and can tell you how frequent the bus or trains are.

Except they're not 24 hours. I've never been misled by them once.

A route planner eh?

Well i guess now all we need are actual routes!


LOL

quote:

Originally posted by malek huh?? wow the biggest transport commission doesn't have a trip planning software/webpage??? Where i live (Lava) a city of barely 350k, there's a very elaborate webpage that even connects with the Montreal bus/metro/train routes! And its been like this for at least 4-5 years if not more.

well toronto isnt exactly known for being at the forefront of innovation. Apparently Mayor Miller is spending a few hundred million on a study about the possible implementation of the wheel.

Google already does this for Portland. Here it is implemented: http://www.google.com/transit

Looks pretty handy. Hopefully it goes through. Can't wait to see how it translates to TTC.

i don't see this as such big of a deal; all you gotta do is know where you're going and get on a bus which takes you to the subway and go. What? people need to be told how to get on a bus now?

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Originally posted by infinity HiGH i don't see this as such big of a deal; all you gotta do is know where you're going and get on a bus which takes you to the subway and go. What? people need to be told how to get on a bus now?

actually its quite handy when u dont know the routes very well. They have a great system in london and i used that almost every day i was there.

Helps a lot.

If Collingwood gets this before Toronto, I'll be flabbergasted!

Jem

Even Mississauga has an transit route planning website. It's pretty useful when I acutally use Miss Transit - which is very very rarely. TTC should have had one ages ago.

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