Kevin Webb of Open Plans: Why iOS 6 is good for transit

There has been a flurry of discussion about Apple’s iOS 6 Maps and transit, including on this blog.  Earlier, I suggested that iOS 6 has some upsides and downsides for public transportation.

Kevin Webb of OpenPlans, in a thoughtful and optimistic post, suggests that Apple will create a marketplace of innovation for multi-modal transportation information.

There’s tremendous opportunity for innovation in how we design and communicate information about personal mobility. Unfortunately the tools have not kept pace, in part due to a lack of proper incentives for new services. With iOS 6 Apple is building a market for new tools rather than offering a default solution.

…In the short-term there will be some pain as new tools are developed, however in the long-run iOS 6 might do as much for transit innovation as GTFS and Google Maps.