For Work And Play » Transit

Application Idea:Transit Rider

Andrew Woods — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:48:37 +0000

I ride the bus everywhere in Seattle. One mobile app I use regularly is One Bus Away. It tells you how minutes away, in real time, your bus is until it arrives at your current stop. It works very well, but it’s designed from the perspective that you’re waiting for the bus to arrive. It doesn’t work so well for planning the trip, or how long until you arrive at your destination, once you’re en route.

That’s where the Transit Rider app would come in. It’d be a single solution for people who ride the bus, and eventually subway/light rail riders. Ideally, it’d do the same functionality as One Bus Away. However, You’d also be able to plan your trip, select the starting stop you like best (because there could be multiple options), then tell it when the bus picked you up. The mobile application would then estimate your arrival time. This could be a fantastic app if designed correctly.

Given the complexity of it, it wouldn’t be possible to create a working prototype for a Startup Weekend project. However, it could be mocked up with static assets and an associated business model. When it comes time to build it, then you’ll need a Java developer to support Android, and an objective-c developer to support iPhone / iPad. It’ll make heavy use of APIs on the server, so you’ll need some great server-side software developers.

This is a project that should be made. it needs to be made which is why I’m writing about it. If you do decide to make it, You should start by developing it for Seattle on Android first. Worry about the iPhone/iPad experience after you’ve worked out the Android experience. That way I can be a tester for you.

Orca Card

Andrew Woods — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:48:01 +0000

Life in Seattle and its surrounding cities and counties is about to get a little easier for those who take public transportation. Several transportation agencies have a new project. It will simplify and accelerate the process of paying for transportation. Enter ORCA Card. The ORCA card is a universal access pass that works on multiple agencies’ systems surrounding the Puget Sound. You might say “One pass to rule them all”. In fact, ORCA is an acronym for One Regional Card for All. It uses RFID to hold your currency and pass information, and accesses it when you tap the sensor. You can add value in person, over the phone, and online. It’s the last option that likely speed adoption. Being able to add value to your card outside of business hours empowers the customer, increases the usability of the system, and increases the likelihood that the customer will keep using it.

Costs

By now your probably wondering how much it costs. To get the card, it’s currently free. However, this is true for a limited time. Keep in mind that they’ll charge you to replace an existing card. Given that the cards are expected to last “approximately five years with regular use“, the replacement cost is trivial. The cost for your travel is separate. Trying to estimate what you should spend each month can be difficult. I live in Seattle, so I use the King County Metro site. Here’s the basic rule for King County – All of Seattle is 1 zone, Everything else is another. Here’s a chart for the fare information.

Challenges

The first of a few challenges for ORCA is the same as any new project – gaining adoption. My friends and I are early adopters, and we’re already sold on it. However, getting the masses to use it will take a fair amount of effort. The second challenge is their website orcacard.com which is poorly designed, has suspect accessibility, and lots of ugly query string URLs. They need to contact Mastodon Labs to solve these problems with a website redesign.

Tips

Get your card now, while they’re free.
Get two cards – one for you, one for guests. So when you have a friend or family member come to visit you, they can use the second card and not worry about how much to pay and carrying exact change. Also it can be a backup for you, should you misplace your primary card.
You don’t need to ask the driver for a transfer, the ORCA knows if its a transfer the next time you scan your card.

King County Metro: Weather Fail

Andrew Woods — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 02:43:13 +0000

Here in Washington state, there is a mission to reduce peoples’ reliance on cars and their impact. It’s strongest in Seattle where Mayor Greg Nickels is trying to incentivise people not to drive their cars. Part of the solution is to provide an alternate means of transportation. In Seattle, that comes in the form of buses, almost-here (coming in late 2009) light rail, monorail, and the SLUT. I’ve been making the effort in my own life to minimize my driving. I walk a lot more. Typically if my destination is in downtown or near Seattle Center I’ll walk. Optionally I’ll ride the monorail or the SLUT. Outside of that I’ll take the bus. Even after all that, there are still a few times I’ll drive my car. But I’m supporter of mass transit. I see it as essential for any city of significance. So I’m glad the city of Seattle is encouraging people to take mass transit. What I’m not glad about, is what I witnessed over the last few days. There’s a snow storm going on now. While the amount of snow we’re getting is uncommon for Seattle (some are calling it Snopocalypse ‘08) it’s pretty run of the mill for cities like Chicago, New York City, and Boston. I wanted to go to Lower Queen Anne on Saturday night so I went to over to 3rd street and Pike to catch the bus. Routes 3, 4, and 16 all can get me where i wanted to go, or at least close enough. I waited about 25 minutes before I pulled up the internet on my mobile to check the status. What I discovered was that many routes had been suspended. I wasn’t the only one out there. There was a crowd of people all standing in the frigid night waiting for a bus to take them home. These people were failed by King County Metro. They need to realize that if you want people to rely on mass transit, it has to always be available. You can’t just take it away when the weather isn’t optimal. People still need to go places and have lives to lead. I’m disappointed that King County Metro failed these people. I’m sure they weren’t the only ones, and I’m sure it will happen again.