Google has added MTA service advisories to its transit directions on its Map offerings.
A few weeks ago when Subway Weekender called it quits, a void opened up in the transit map space. While peak-hour, weekday service websites and apps are easy to come by, few of those services provide reroutings and diagrams of the way weekend and off-peak service changes impact the subway system. With straphangers voicing complaints concerning the ease of use over the MTA’s own Weekender offerings, could Google fill the void?
Today, the Internet giant announced the integration of service advisories into their transit directions. If implemented properly, this could be a big step forward for informing potential riders of obstacles along their routes. Google, which seems to be under the misconception that the subways serve only 200 million annually, introduced the new addition to their maps:
Have you ever arrived at a subway platform only to find that the train you intended to take is skipping stops, rerouted on another line, or isn’t running at all due to scheduled maintenance? Now when you click on any of the 468 New York City subway stations labeled on Google Maps, you’ll see whether any planned service changes are expected to affect that station at the time. In addition, the relevant alerts will be included in the step-by-step transit directions pointing you wherever you’re going.
If you’re looking to find the best route to see a concert after work or checking for any expected delays when already running late, this feature works when you’re online via maps.google.com and Google Maps for Mobile on Android. To adjust your travel around the alerts you see, simply choose another suggested route or change your departure time…
For everybody who lives in one of New York City’s five boroughs, commutes in and out every day or is visiting for business or vacation, we hope today’s update improves the ease and efficiency of your trips around the city.
So how does it work? To test it, I asked Google Maps to route me from Canal St. to Cortelyou Road a few minutes ago. As part of weekday work along the Brighton Line, Coney Island-bound Q trains are running express, and riders have to transfer to a Manhattan-bound train making local stops. Google Maps, unlike the MTA’s own TripPlanner, informs me that I have to take this disruption into account, but does not offer up the full routing. While TripPlanner routed me around the disruption, either by walking or transferring to a Manhattan-bound train, Google Maps told me to take the Coney Island-bound Q from Canal St. to Cortelyou Road while keeping in mind the disruption. It’s an entirely unhelpful piece of advice considering the circumstances as I’m supposed to account for the service changes on my own.
The beauty of Subway Weekender was in the visualization. Not only were riders informed of the changes, but they could see how it impacted subway lines. The Google Maps changes do nothing of the sort yet; they simply bring key information to the public and ask the public to put the pieces together. It’s a positive development but nothing game-changing.
7 comments
Hopstop has been taking service changes into account for years, but I have been waiting for the day that Google hops on board with that.
Unfortunately I’m not sure if dynamic mapping is possible without a human (or team of them for 24-7-365 coverage) standing by to actually draw a visualization whenever there is a change. Subway Weekender’s shortcoming was that he didnt work for the MTA and ultimately to get that first class dynamic mapping only the MTA can step up and do that. 3rd parties just don’t have that manpower to allocate to this effort. Furthermore dynamic mapping really is only worth it if the maps could be pushed out instantaneously and displayed in the stations on large flat screens. Currently I tend to get MTA notices of service change via text AFTER I leave the system since most stations have no signal, so web updates aren’t as useful by themselves.
Quite disappointing that it tries to route you through the service disruption.
But the MTA’s Trip Planner most certainly does take actual service changes into account – for your example trip, it sends you to Newkirk Plaza and tells you to either walk or take a Q or B (which it knows is running local!) back one stop, depending on the preferences that you’ve set.
Hmmm. You’re right about TripPlanner. Weird. When I tested it yesterday, I got routed through a service disruption, but when I tried it today, I received directions that incorporated the disruptions. I must’ve read it wrong yesterday. I’ll update the post.
Google still has its idiosyncrasies. When I tried it out, it said that the diversion on the Brighton Line ran “weekdays” but didn’t give an end date. Another one in the Bronx (on the 6, which Google calls the Lexington Avenue Express!) said that it was effective that day only when it runs all week according to the MTA. It also doesn’t seem to have information for future dates (like next week).
I think I’ll stick with TripPlanner.
I always use TripPlanner+ on weekends.
Google directions are pretty unhelpful since you have to figure out what that advisory blurbage means and how to get around it. Not to mention that it gives you entirely wrong information (weekday service changes on a weekend, a detour on another line, wrong end dates, etc) or just doesn’t mention planned work at all.
This makes me wonder where they get their information. Are they copying and pasting from the MTA website? That could explain the errors, but seems entirely too labor-intensive. Is there some sort of feed? I would expect better information in that case.