Do a search for directions on Google Maps and you’ll get three routing options to choose from: driving, walking and public transit. Handy little tool.
Problem is, the public transit directions don’t work in Winnipeg. Why’s that? Because Winnipeg Transit (WT) hasn’t seen fit to open its scheduling data to Google, or anyone else for that matter.
I know WT has its own Navigo online route planner, but it stands to reason that you might encourage more casual ridership if the transit option was available through Google Maps. I also think tourists are more likely to look at Google, and understand how it works, over Navigo.
Google also allows users to browse the neighbourhoods around their point of origin or destination, seeing what businesses and amenities are nearby. Finally, Google Maps beats the hell out of Navigo on a mobile device.
It’s not like this is some crazy new idea either. Over 500 transit systems around the world share their scheduling data with Google, including those in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. Many of those systems also operate their own scheduling sites, like Navigo.
Beyond Google, there would be advantages to opening up transit data to a much broader audience of developers as well. I’m thinking iPhone apps that display transit schedules, interactive mapping sites, or LED screens in stores or restaurants that let customers know when the next bus arrives.
New York’s Metro Transit Authority, the largest transit operator in the United States, recently opened up its data to Google and developers, and the results have been stunning:
UPDATE: Courtesy of a reader, I’m told Winnipeg Transit is finally in the process of joining Google Transit, with plans to maintain Navigo as well. A good first step, but they should still be working toward opening up the data for anyone to repurpose or mashup in creative ways.
Have you asked them?
I’ve talked to some people on Winnipeg Transit’s IT team about this. They’ve considered Google Transit, but they decided against it Google Transit doesn’t accept exception information, eg, delays or reroutes. So what you’d get from GT would only be the schedules, and not real time information.
And there may be people out there working on such an iPhone application already
@John – I’m a lazy blogger, you know I don’t do real research.
I actually looked into this a while ago and was told much the same as Jason B. However, after a few early morning emails, it appears that Transit is finally taking the steps necessary to join Google’s service. Now if they’d just open up the data feed to all.
There are other reasons to be hesitant about joining google transit. For one thing, its information that google gets for free. Transit’s IT department I assume likes to keep its data to itself. They are fairly innovative IMHO. Which is why it never bothered me too much about google transit.. For another, google is good at finding inefficiencies, especially after it starts getting a bunch of cities on board. Why would Winnipeg Transit want people to realize how inefficient a lot of their routes are? Plus I assume any transit searches done through Winnipeg Transit help transit determine ridership. If it loses that, the results become less and less reliable.
WT has had an API available since at least mid-August. It can’t be found on Google but I did some hacking into their desktop “BusGadget” (http://beta.winnipegtransit.com/en/route-schedule-info/busgadget) which led me to it. WT kindly granted me an API key on request.
I don’t work for WT so I’ll leave it to them to make the details public.