If you need help getting around by public transportation, try a ... Transit-route Web site

Newsday has a story about transit trip planning services in the NYC-region. Hopstop is one of the services mentioned. In the past, I've compared HopStop's DC area service to WMATA's and found it seriously wanting. It seems to be better now. The story also mentions PublicRoutes.

The WMATA Trip Planner must be one of the best in the U.S.

In fact, I wish Maryland's MTA would contract for WMATA to provide an MTA-branded service on their website. They don't have a trip planner comparable to WMATA's offering.

As Steve Eldridge wrote a couple days ago, in "Cell phones, bus times on RideGuide":

... the D.C. Circulator, VRE, MARC, Dash (Alexandria), ART (Arlington), Connector (Fairfax), OmniRide/OmniLink (Prince William), Howard Transit/Connect-A-Ride, Frederick County, Loudoun Commuter Bus, Montgomery County (Ride On), Prince George’s County (The Bus) and Fairfax City (Cue) are all on the RideGuide [in addition to the Metrobus and Metrorail systems.]

(Not included, the Georgetown Connection, which travels between the Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, and Rosslyn Metro Stations via Georgetown.)

Speaking of revenue streams and efficiency, maybe this software system can be marketed to other transit systems and become a separate revenue stream for WMATA. Sort of like the Sabre airline reservation system and American Airlines. (Although I don't know any details about the system, how it was developed, and if WMATA "owns" the system.)

Index Keywords: transit