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For Immediate Release

Web-Based Transit Trip-Planner Serves Up Two-Millionth Itinerary

Use of online service accelerates

CONTACT:

Tom Spiekerman
510.817.5816

Réka Goode
510.464.7706

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 7, 2003...Only a year and a half after its launch, the online transit trip-planner operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has reached another major milestone: It has provided Bay Area travelers with 2 million personalized public transit itineraries. The milestone was reached on Dec. 29, 2002, only six months after the first million mark was hit.

"The Bay Area public has responded enthusiastically to this service," said Sharon Brown, chair of MTC. "We’ve gotten comments from veteran transit riders as well as those new to transit, and the consensus has been that this is a concept whose time has come."

Hosted by MTC’s Bay Area Transit Information Web Page, <www.transitinfo.org>, the service currently allows travelers to plan transit trips involving 20 connecting local bus, train and ferry operators and approximately 440 routes and 11,500 bus stops and transit stations. Transit riders just type in the address, intersection or landmark they are departing from and their destination, and the system will tell them which routes to take, when and where to board, and where to transfer.

Starting in spring 2003, transit riders also can reach the trip planner via a new Web site now under development: <511.org> will provide traffic, transit and other traveler information, just as the newly introduced 511 voice-responsive telephone number does.

The online trip planner currently generates itineraries for the following transit operators:

  • Bus operators: San Francisco Muni, the transbay Dumbarton Express and nine East Bay operators — AC Transit, Benicia Transit, County Connection (Central Contra Costa Transit Authority), Emery-Go-Round, Tri Delta Transit (Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority), Union City Transit, Vallejo Transit, WestCAT (Western Contra Costa County Transit Authority) and WHEELS (operated by the Livermore/Amador Valley Transit Authority).
  • Rail operators: the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE), BART, Caltrain and Muni light rail.
  • Ferry lines: the Alameda-Oakland, Golden Gate, Harbor Bay, Vallejo Baylink, Angel Island-Tiburon, and Blue and Gold Fleet ferry services.

In addition to providing transit directions and schedule and fare information, the trip-planner can produce sophisticated, geographic information system-based walking maps that show how to get to, from and between transit stops. The maps allow the user to zoom in and out and pan from one spot to another, taking in features such as parks, schools, hospitals and other landmarks. The color maps can be printed out to take along on the transit trip.

The trip planner also is being used by the telephone information centers operated by the transit agencies themselves, making the service available to members of the public who don’t have access to the Web.

By spring, MTC will add to the online transit trip-planning service routes and schedules for Golden Gate Transit, San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). During the summer, MTC will phase in Vacaville City Coach and Fairfield/Suisun Transit as well as Sonoma and Napa county transit operators.

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

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