Press Releases

For Immediate Release

511 Service Helps Holiday Travelers — Free of Charge

One-Stop Source for Traffic, Transit, Airport Parking Info

Contact:
John Goodwin 510.817.5862
Shauna Callow 510.817.5704

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 21, 2006 . . . The Bay Area’s popular 511 service is the one-stop source of information for travelers on the go this holiday weekend. Whether you want to know how long it will take to drive to Grandma’s house, how many parking spots are left at the airport, or when to catch the train for some Friday-after-Thanksgiving shopping, the answers are at your fingertips — toll-free 24/7 on the phone at 511, or on the Web at 511.org.

Among the most popular features for holiday travelers is 511 Driving Times^SM, which delivers on-demand information about point-to-point travel times on the Bay Area freeway network. The 511 “Airport” option is also popular, containing information about traffic conditions, parking rates and ground transportation at the San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento airports — plus updated data on parking availability at Oakland International Airport. Callers to the 511 phone service need only say “Driving Times” or “Airports” at the main menu, and then follow the prompts on a state-of-the-art voice response system.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) introduced the 511 phone service and a companion Web portal at 511.org in December 2002 to provide timely, on-demand information for drivers, transit riders, carpoolers, vanpoolers and bicyclists throughout the Bay Area.

MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

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