Google Transit Shows the Way

There was more big news from Google this week--the announcement of Google Transit Trip Planner. Designed by a few Google engineers during their “20 percent time” (part of the work week given over to the pursuit of unique and interesting ideas), Google Transit lets commuters and travelers access public transportation schedules and other information for a metropolitan area to instantly plan their best route. Google Transit maps out complete trips for specific days and times, all on one web site. It also provides driving routes, and compares the cost and time spent driving somewhere with that of using public transportation. Although the first release (in beta) covers only Portland, Oregon, Google plans to quickly expand the new product to other cities. Meanwhile, everyone can try it out at www.google.com/transit. Here’s a sample result for a specific date and time. More information about Google Transit is found at the site’s FAQ page.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat