WASHINGTON -- Thanks Google!
Metro will begin posting all of its bus and rail schedules and routes online starting Monday in response to public outcry for Web and moblie integration.
The move will allow third parties such as Google Transit to offer online tools for riders.
Transit riders in New York and San Francisco have access to such online tools. Two college students in San Francisco, for example, used rail schedule data to create a free application for iPhones to help riders plan trips.
Metro's decision comes after an online petition drive by riders late last year who were upset that the transit agency seemed to be keeping the information under lock and key.
Metro had been in talks with Google Transit to place schedule information exclusively on the popular mapping tool. But they were unable to reach an agreement.
“We have received requests for this information by a corporate entity. However, we felt that instead of making our data available to just one corporate giant on an exclusive basis with legal restrictions on us, we decided to make it available to everyone with no legal or financial risks to Metro,” said Emeka Moneme, Metro's chief administrative officer.
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Users of the information must agree to Metro’s use of terms before they can download the information, which includes exempting the transit agency from liability. The user also is responsible for keeping the information up-to-date and accurate. Users can sign up for RSS feeds to be notified when the raw data has changed. The information will be available Monday at the following link: http://www.wmata.com/rider_tools/developer_resources.cfm.
More than 100 transit agencies participate in Google Transit, including the Maryland Transit Administration, Alexandria's DASH buses and Loudoun County Transit.
