Bejan, who rights at Ophran Road as bgtothen, has been making great progress with his new interface for mybus. Check it out:
As promised here is an updated on my independent study. Since I meet with Prof. Dailey in the CSE department my studies have mostly focused on Mybus and how the information that is already there can be better communicated and use by riders. As I documented earlier I first focused on how print information both at the stop and in leaflet form could look, which can bee seen here and here.
Since then I have been focusing on what the online information should consist of and how it should be communicated. I decided that the online component needs a better way of intuitively and quickly finding the mybus information, which resulted in the google map that I created. Currently mybus stop ids are in a tabular form slit over 8 different webpages, which really isn’t too easy to use. My map includes all 1020 mybus timepoints. Each marker is linked to the corresponding mybus website, which a user can then bookmark. The next step is to improve the arrival time interface to a more initiative countdown or graphic format. I have a good idea of what I want to do but I’m trying to figure out the technical aspects right now.
Check it out!
My heartfelt thanks to those who work to develop these tools. And the location shown – 5th and Terrace – is a great example of where real-time information is needed, since Metro uses “estimated time points” there and drivers make no effort to keep to a schedule. It’s just a nice way to say “we’ve given up on reliability.”
I can’t afford an iPhone yet, but that doesn’t stop me from imagining how useful a mobile computer could become as a travel assistant. My problem with MyBus is that the information is at my computer, not at the bus stop where I need it. We have lots of data, but we aren’t always good at delivering it to the point where it can be used to make decisions or calm the nerves of waiting riders.
Imagine an intelligent hand-held device that could forecast whether you will be able to execute a transfer reliably, or that can help decide how to change plans mid-trip when a bus is delayed. Or one that could hold the fare media. Or for those who are disabled, that could provide even more basic information, like what the signs around are saying. There are talking sign technologies that use infrared, but they are separate dedicated devices, not integrated with a general purpose mobile computing platform.
There is a world of opportunity in this area that public agencies are not going to be at the forefront of, sadly. Thank you again to the UW – keep it up!
Yeah good job bgtothen!
Quasimodal thanks for the comment.
I too don’t have an iPhone however don’t let that keep you from using mybus. I don’t look at schedules anymore. Anyone that can send a text message can use mybus.
How To:
1. Send a text message to sms@mybus.org (I suggest adding this as a contact because it takes a while to write. I know it looks like an e-mail address but 95% of cell phone can send a text message to this address. It might be hard to find the @ symbol but keep looking! I had a hard time too.)
2. If you know the stop number you want enter it into the body as “@7018”. If you don’t know the stop number look for “This Metro location is number 7018” after clicking on the link in the map.
3. If you want one specific route or a group of routes you can also send a text message with the route number before the stop number (ex. “43@7018” or “43,48@7018”)
4. If you are away from the computer but want a stop number send a text message with just the route number in the body “43” and mybus will send a text back with all stop that the route stops at.
I know these instruction are a little confusing so I’m planning on including tutorial videos to better explain how mybus works.
We have a phone number set up to do provide the same information however it isn’t working right now.
Nice site for bus takers. I recently did noticed a site that estimates taxi cabs…for Seattle. I always knew that NYC and other cities had them, but I never saw one for us. Now we can drop $45 from Seatac to downtown with out hestitation…err…maybe not.
The link is TaxiFareFinder.com.
bobh,
Thanks for the link!
Very nice stuff!
I know I’m quite late to the game, but I’ve only just run across this article. I very much prefer taking Metro rather than driving. Trying to do my part. Metro does not have a very mobile friendly website, that’s for sure.
The thing that bothers me about MyBus, is that it requires the user to know their Metro stop number, which isn’t always an easy thing. Most especially for visitors to the city. The second limitation I see is that MyBus doesn’t give alternative routes. Example: I go from West Seattle to Capitol Hill daily, but I have several options I could choose based on the time of day and/or the stop. If I miss a bus at Third & Pike, I could walk another block or two to take a 22 which would arrive sooner than waiting for another 54. That’s my example. The Bus Locater Map View in this case is ideal because I can see other busses that are nearby which might get me to the same place, but not stop at the same stop. Though, it’s not available on mobile devices.
As mobile devices improve exponentially and unlimited data availability (web access) on those devices becomes more ubiquitous, Metro Transit information should be able to be delivered to mobile devices in a less confusing, more user friendly way.
But thanks for the blog posting and info. Can’t wait to see what else happens.