google transit!!

many people know my hatred for the ttc and most other transit systems in toronto. the only place the ttc actually does its job properly is downtown.. otherwise, it's a sinkhole of inefficiency. really, the only one i like is viva cause it's so well planned and properly implemented.

one of the reasons i hate the ttc so much is the lack of a route planner on their website. is that so hard to implement? okay, it is difficult.. but it's a necessary tool for transit systems these days. especially since the internet is so easily accessible - even on your phone! and i make a point of internet accessibility because the transit system here fails to even post their phone number at their bus stops.

anyway, the point of all this: google. it continues to impress me! they now have google transit - a public transit route planner. it's only available in certain cities while in beta (vancouver, montreal, and fredricton as far as canadian cities are concerned).

i tried finding a route in montreal: from the train station to the airport. i'm impressed with the result! it gives you different options for routes, the estimated time, and cost for fare depending on the route. it does exactly what a route planner should do.

if toronto were to get onto this, maybe the project would be significantly subsidized because it's google (let's redirect some website funds to improve our services). hey, not a bad idea. now if all the transit systems in the gta were to get on this, how great would that be?! people would have the choice of taking a faster route vs. a cheaper route at the touch of a button. it would be easier to sell more transit services (metropass) because you're justifying it with the route planner. i'm sure google could jig it to suggest purchasing certain passes based on routes found (excellent marketing). and it's google.. more people are likely to trust the information given.

ah.. a girl can dream.