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Transactions Newsletter

December 2002 / January 2003

511Traffic and Transit Info
Now as Easy as 5-1-1

Want to know what traffic is like on the Bay Bridge? Wondering how to get to tomorrow’s job interview by public transit? Now up-to-the-minute traffic information and transit schedules are just three digits away.

In December, MTC officially launched the 511 traveler information service to provide on-demand information on public transit, traffic, carpooling, vanpooling and bicycling throughout the Bay Area.

Not only is 511 easier to remember than its predecessor number, 817-1717, but also the new system uses voice recognition instead of touch-tone dialing to route callers’ requests. The automated, voice-activated system offers travelers easy access to the information they need. The system also means time savings for call-ers, who now can voice their specific needs at the start of the conversation instead of listening to long menus of choices.

The new 511 number takes its place alongside 411 and 911— easy-to-remember, three-digit phone numbers that pro- vide important services to the public. The Bay Area is the largest metropolitan area in the country, and the first in California, to activate the 511 service. The phone service will be complemented early in 2003 by a Web site — www.511.org — that will serve as a portal to live traffic information, MTC’s interactive transit trip planner, an online ride-matching service for carpoolers, bicycle information and more.

Whether you’re planning a transit trip or wondering whether there’s an accident up ahead, give 511 a try, and let us know how you like it by dialing 77 while you’re on the line.

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