TriMet launches third party developer app center
Browse through ‘Unofficial’ Web and Mobile Applications for applications that utilize TriMet’s TransitTracker Web Service & GTFS Data for developers.
There are a lot of great apps there — mobile apps, SMS, web-apps, and visualization tools. Looks like TriMet’s Developer Resources are paying off for the agency and riders.
Wish your iPod touch could help plan transit trips?
While iPhone users benefit from built-in transit directions, iPod touch users can feel left out on the curb.
However, until the iPod touch incorporates transit directions (and I hope it will), there is another option — UniBus for iPod touch and iPhone. Unibus is a $1.99 app that allows you to look up arrivals and departures for many transit systems that make their GTFS publicly available, including those of two Trillium clients, agencies in Humboldt County, California, and Mountain Line in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Since the schedule information is downloaded to the device, network access is not required to lookup schedule information.
More information is available from the UniBus website. Below, a screenshot of the app.
I discovered this app through the Headway Wiki. Thanks to Joe Hughes for establishing this resource.
Convergence of Mobility and Mobility (ConMaM)
I am a bit obsessed with the idea that travel information plays a crucial (and often overlooked) role in sustainable mobility options.
Ian Sacs on the Planetizen blog has an idea for how one facet of this issue — mobility information on mobile devices — can get more attention. New acryonyms! (If you’ve been involved in the planning or transit fields for long, you are well aware of the preponderence of acronyms that we use.)
Will the planning and transit communinity introduce ConMaM (Convergence of Mobility and Mobility) to its lexicon? We’ll see. But they already are, and need to continue to incorporate the idea into practice:
The technology and transportation industries use the same word “mobility” for two very different purposes. In technology, mobility represents the ease of portability of various devices (phones, cameras, music players, etc.). In transportation, mobility describes the ease of portability of ourselves. The idea of ConMaM is that the more we take advantage of the power of mobile devices, the better we will be able to get around. That is, as we converge mobile devices with mobility systems, we will be able to improve the efficiency and convenience of these systems.
Of websites, customer information and short-range transit plans
Recently, someone directed me to look the Santa Cruz Metro 2007-2008 Short Range Transit Plan.
One of its features is an evaluation of the Santa Cruz Metro website based on the results of a web-based public survey.
As part of the planning process, it makes a lot of sense to evaluate websites, and other components customer information, both offline and online, and discuss how they fit into an agency’s strategic goals. I believe customer information should be treated as an integral part of good transit service, not a separate, tacked-on component (see earlier blog post: Customer information: not a side dish but part of the main course).
The “Metro Website Evaluation” section makes some good, if obvious, recommendations on how to improve their website and online strategy: create a fast-loading, visually-pleasing, and user-friendly website; include the URL on printed materials and get partners to link to scmtd.com from their sites.
The document points out that “nearly half of passengers using the system are between the ages of 18-23″ (most are likely students at UC Santa Cruz) and that a modern, full-featured website necessary to serve these customers well. In addition, I would point out that this demographic presents some additional opportunities in the online space: College students like to have fun, so partnering with local event calendars to include transit directions, like Trillium helped make happen in Humboldt County, would make a lot of sense. Some transit agencies are reaching out on social networks like Twitter and Facebook to recruit new riders and build rider community and brand identification. That might make sense for SC Metro, because 85% of college students use Facebook.
Despite the inclusion of the website evaluation, online information strategy could have been better integrated in the overall document. The on-board survey of 1902 riders conspicuously did not include questions like “Do you have access to and use the internet… at home? work? school?,” “How often do you use the internet?”, or “What kind of mobile communications device do you carry? – [none, iPhone, Blackberry, cell phone, other, etc.]“
BART adds Developer App Center to bart.gov
One theme I noticed in the BART Mobile Applications Rider Survey results was that some respondents didn’t seem to be aware of the many 3rd party apps available for real-time alerts and trip planning on the BART system.
In an effort to help riders find the available tools, BART has provided links to many of the mobile and social apps available for their system through bart.gov’s Developer App Center.
One question I have, though, is why it’s called the Developer App Center. That makes it sound like it’s for developers, instead of end-users.
BART Mobile Applications Rider Survey
This post is overdue. In late Februrary, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) released the results of an online survey of its riders on their use of mobile devices and mobile transit information applications.
Beyond the results of the survey, I think one of the most interesting and noteworthy aspects of this project is BART’s approach. They survey results were publicly released, summarized, and well publicized. Why? I am willing to assume BART sees these survey results as equally, if not more, useful for 3rd party application developers as for the BART organization itself. In the end, this will mean applications and tools (3rd party or BART-delivered) that are better tailored to the needs of customers. This is a prime example of open communication and partnership-building at work.
Here were the highlights I noted from a read of the survey results:
- 6,500 responses to the survey — that’s a lot of people who care.
- iPhone and Blackberry: most popular devices (not surprising), followed by iPods (these don’t work on the mobile phone network, but since some models connect with Wifi networks, they are still connected devices). How many iPods do you see on the last transit vehicle you rode?
- More than a third of respondents plan to purchase a new mobile device within 1 year (large number, but the pool of respondents was self-selected).
- “Customers told BART they expect to be connected to get work done on their commutes, as well as for personal entertainment to pass the time.” This is a good reason to make Wifi available for passengers (BART is working on that).
- The most popular mobile transit application, by far, was the iPhone’s built-in “Maps” application (over 45% of respondents used with some regularity).
- Respondents mentioned some cool/interesting features they’d like to see:
- points of interest near transit stations (like SF Bay Ferries Walkshed map or CUMTD Green Line site?).
- Customizable mobile alerts for specific lines or stations
- Weather at stations (like some air travel sites do).
- Yelp.com integration
Big Noise: Accessibility via Gadgetry
Another example of how Google Transit can be extended to make transit information conveniently available to more people in more places. The Travel Assistive Device program in Florida uses Google Transit feed (GTFS) for schedule and stop information. From Big Noise:
I love gadgets, do-dads and things that go blinky-blinky. From Rube Goldberg machines that don’t accomplish a thing, to thing-a-ma-bobs that have an actual purpose; I love finding new devices and fiddle with ‘em.
I guess that is why I was so fascinated when I learned that the University of South Florida researchers developed a technology that uses cell phones to help people with brain injuries and other cognitive disabilities to use public transportation.
It’s called a Travel Assistive Device. It uses a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology inside cell phones to keep track of where riders with disabilities are along their bus route. Then the bus approaches the rider’s stop, the cell phone will vibrate and a voice message reminds the rider to pull the cord to tell the bus driver to pull over at the next stop. Cool, ey? With one caveat.
More at http://mybignoise.blogspot.com/2009/01/accessibility-via-gadgetry.html Read more
Feedback on iPhone’s transit directions & maps
The Google Transit team sent out an announcement to their partners on some of the early responses to the inclusion of Google Transit in the default software for the iPhone in the 2.2 update. I’ve been excited about the potential for easy-to-use transit information on handheld wireless devices since I started doing work with Google Transit. It seems that presenting transit as a ready option, alongside driving and walking instructions, on one of the most popular mobile devices is changing the way people think about transit and inspiring some new riders. Here’s the message Google sent:
Google Transit has reached a new milestone – with the new iPhone 2.2 firmware update, the iPhone puts public transportation and walking on even footing with driving directions in Google Maps for mobile (GMM).
From now on, any time an iPhone user asks for directions in an area where Google has public transit schedules, the transit route is at their fingertips. Better yet, it defaults to the last travel mode used, so someone who always takes public transportation will get transit directions by default.
This is a huge free upgrade for all the agencies who have shared their schedule data with Google (and other developers). This, along with the other transit-supporting versions of Google Maps for mobile for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Symbian Series 60, makes it easy for an agency to get their schedule and route information into millions of pockets and purses. Read more
Transit directions on the iPhone
The reason I bought an iPhone was an early-October rumor that the Google Transit trip planner, and walking directions, were going to become part of the iPhone’s mapping application with the 2.2 software update.
Sure enough, in late November, it happened (link is to Google blog). And, it’s great.
As of October 21, 2008, Apple had sold 13 million iPhones. That’s a pretty good-sized user base to reach with mobile transit directions.
Since the iPhone has GPS built-in, you can query for transit directions from where you are without entering a start location, just an end location. One nice touch (no pun intended) is being able to use street view to see what a start, transfer, or end stop location looks like.
Read more
Google Maps for mobile includes transit
Last week, the new version of Google Maps for mobile added transit directions. This means that if your agency is in Google Maps/Transit, then people in your area can look up transit information from their connected mobile phone/PDA when they’re on-the-go and need the information most.
Read more about some of the handy features of the latest version of Google Maps for mobile here, Get bus and train directions on the go with Google Maps for mobile at the official Google mobile blog. Read more
