E-Media Tidbits

maps.google.com Google Maps now offers public transit directions.

Some people consider a city without mass transit to be an uncivilized place to visit -- perhaps uninhabitable. Also, with gasoline prices rising as steadily as the sun in the morning, even steadfast autophiles are venturing onto trains, buses, light rail and other public modes of transportation.

Google is using its maps service to boost public transit and assist new riders or out-of-town visitors by offering information on how to make trips by public transit in several cities and countries. This service includes instructional videos, trip scheduling, and covers various modes of transit (bus, light rail, subway etc.). Some areas (but not all) also offer fare information directly through Google Maps.

Here's how it works: Go to Google Maps and do a search for directions to get to and from two locations in one of the cities for which Google offers public transit information. Your starting point and destination must include an address, zip code, or place name. In your results, you'll see options for "drive" and "public transit." Choose "public transit." (In some cases, a video on how to use the service pops up.)

I customized a public transit search, thinking about the Netroots (formerly Daily Kos) convention in Austin, TX -- a city where I have always rented a car to get around. I learned that it would cost 50 cents and take about 20 minutes to get from Austin-Bergstrom Airport to the Austin Hilton via the metro bus. But Google Maps also showed me an Airport Flyer bus option. It also compared the cost of public transit to the cost of driving ($3.83 in this case).

With travel allowances being slashed by many businesses (universities included) and the desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this kind of service ought to generate interest. News organizations in participating cities could link to this service -- and perhaps develop stories around local angle. You could involve local bloggers, and provide readers (who are increasingly "viewer/users") with some useful links.

I noticed that Google's instructional video for Chicago public transit, which went online on April 8 according to Google spokesperson Elaine Filadelfo, reveals a hidden bias in the system. It shows how to get to Wrigley Field from O'Hare Airport. White Sox fans know that you can easily take the Red Line to U.S. Cellular field -- but apparently the crowd with money to fly these days, wants to watch the Cubs. The old snobs vs. slobs rivalry may be built into Google Maps.

Also, I noticed an odd omission from the list of participating cities: New York City is missing from the list. Filadelfo explained that Google "works directly with each transit agency to get their data (schedules, stations, stops, routes, etc), as opposed to obtaining it on our own, to ensure the quality and currency of our data. We're working hard to bring the service to more cities, but don't have any particular cities to announce at this time."

So it might be a good story to see whether your local public transit system is cooperating with Google Maps.