[UPDATE: Thanks to some feedback in the comments below, the video is new and improved. I've embedded the new version; the old version is still available here.]
Courtesy of Margitte Kristjansson, the UW has a new video out showing incoming students how to use Metro:
If you’re trying to break someone in who’s reasonably internet-savvy, this might be a good approach. The companion website is here.
King/Kong News has a nice simple segment last night on how to ride the Link train as well. Not sure if it is available on line.
I remember the first time I tried to use my ORCA card I put the card up to the screen instead of the reader area – thus looking like an idiot… :-)
Here’s the link – No video as far as I can tell.
http://www.king5.com/news/specials/savemoney/stories/NW_081909SAV-light-rail-tickets-SW.f6902f42.html
Ugh, they need a tripod.
Also, this video is geared towards UW students for which riding the bus can’t get much easier: show card, pick a seat.
Metro took down their old “How to ride Metro” video (though you can still find it if you go through the Wayback machine). That video was great because I could show my dad how to use his FlexPass.
They’re pretty explicit about what to do if you don’t have a U-Pass.
OK. I didn’t watch the whole thing.
The majority of new UW students haven’t ever ridden the bus before.
They give the trip planner URL as “tripplanner.metrokc.gov”. While this will still work, the county now prefers you use “kingcounty.gov” instead, and I believe all pages on the old “metrokc.gov” domain will be going away eventually.
I think the public transit mode of Google Maps is a bit friendlier than the Trip Planner.
I think the GMaps interface is nicer, but Link isn’t integrated with Google Maps yet, which some may consider a major downside.
I love onebusaway. I learned about it here first and have been using it and promoting it ever since. It’s Fabulous!
The survey mentioned aOneBusAway iPhone app currently in beta testing. Any idea of when it would be released? I have a saved link to the iPhone website on my phone home page, but an actual app would be awesome.
Oops, posted to the wrong thread.
I figured I wasn’t the only one who noticed the metrokc.gov URL.
As for Adam: I’ve been taking him everywhere on the bus to show him how. I’ve also let him ride around while I was at work so he can learn the area.*
*disclaimer: he’s already a walking dictionary of Hampton Roads Transit so he knows how to ride a bus
Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions! We are making changes to both the site and the video with the updated URLs.
Also, due to copyright issues with the song used at the end, we’ll be adding a new one at the credits. (It’s awesome.)
I’ll email Seattle Transit Blog with the new, updated YouTube link later today.
Thanks!
Margitte
This is awesome! A great resource for incoming students (and anyone who avoids the bus due to the general intimidation presented by the mystery of public transportation…like my mom). Only thing I noticed is that it didn’t mention you pay when you get on in the RFA after 7 pm….(I didn’t even know about the metrokc.gov vs. kingcounty.gov).
Shame about Beirut…boo copyright issues. Oh well. Kudos Maggie!
- Little Laury