Google Maps “public transit” feature rocks! Superior to “trip planner” at metrotransit.org. Cleaner, better maps, all-around easier to use.
Gauntlet thrown.
VS 
To compare, I tried to find transit directions at both sites from my current home address in Eden Prairie to my former apartment address in Uptown. On both sites, I entered the addresses in the following format: street number, city, state.
Metro Transit didn’t recognize my home address at all and gave me a list of thirty or so intersections to choose from. Only one was even in Eden Prairie, most of them were in Bloomington and half of them were duplicates of each other. So I couldn’t even get transit instructions from Metro Transit.
Google immediately gave me three options with different departure times, complete with mapped out walking directions, bus info, and a map of where the bus will go. One option included different walking instructions because of the time of morning when various bus routes actually run (options are limited in EP), so I’m sure that the route info Google gets from Metro Transit is accurate.
However, where Metro Transit has the upper hand is if you know a little about what bus you want to be taking. You can’t search by route in Google. Metro Transit’s NexTrip is a great (mobile-friendly) tool for finding out when to expect the next bus to arrive on a particular route at a particular stop.
From a sheer ease-of-use standpoint, I think the crux of the problem is identifying addresses in the first place. Metro Transit is really picky about addresses. Google Transit does a better job of translating what you enter and serves up an easier interface for you to clarify if it can’t.
Otherwise, it depends on how you’re using the service. For simple Point A to Point B, Google is probably the best choice. For more control in choosing between routes, stick to Metro Transit (and have patience).
Have you had cause to compare Google Transit to Metro Transit? Are you an experienced transit rider or is this new and scary to you? Thoughts?
7 Comments
Perhaps Metro Transit could improve their address verification by running it through Google Maps’ API.
Google also doesn’t include fare info, which can be crucial
Ooh, that’s a good point, Alex.
My girlfriend tried to figure out how to get from point a to point b with metro transit’s website. After being frustrated and calling me over and me getting frustrated (seriously, talk about shoddy design), we finally got everything inputted correctly only to be told that no such route exists. We tried Google with the same exact route and it worked just fine, didn’t have any problems with it. I think the Metro Transit site is worthless, and not just the route finding portion of it. They need someone with a clue over there, stat.
I’m a fan of the Metro Transit site. It’s been around a long time and was helping me get from point A to point B long before Google was even thinking about maps. What Google has to their advantage right now is that it’s always easier to start something from scratch than to work with a legacy system that’s been around since before things like Google Maps existed.
One tip is that Metro Transit’s Trip Planner deals better with intersections than it does with street addresses, so I usually enter “7th and nicollet” instead of 719 nicollet avenue, for example.
I just tested out the Google Transit site to see what it would pull up for my trip home from work at 5pm. There’s a bus that comes right at 5 one block away, but Google Transit told me the next bus wasn’t until 5:24. Also, the way it handled the bus number was confusing, telling me first it was the 17, then sandwiching the fact it was a 17W somewhere else in the results. Those letters can be crucial if you live anywhere outside of the downtown zone.
Like Erica said, finding specific route info is easier, as well, on the Metro Transit site. Click on the quick schedule link in any search result and there’s a list of the times for that stop for the next couple of hours. That way, I know if I miss my bus, there’s another one in 22 minutes or whatever.
Oh, one more thing Google Transit didn’t let me adjust was how much walking I wanted to do, which could be critical for folks with limited mobility. And Google’s walks are measured by default in walking times, not distances, which is pretty relative. I am a slow walker, so is Google’s 10 minute walk going to take me 15 or 20?
My final opinion: Out-of-towners or infrequent bus travelers might be more comfortable with the Google maps interface and being able to input addresses instead of intersections. However, as a 9-year bus taking veteran, I definitely prefer the options on the Metro Transit site.
Sorry this comment is so long. I feel like Garth after he wails out on the drums in the instrument store. “I like to ride the bus.”
I tried Google Transit after having used the Metro Transit for the past year (when I began using public transit). I normally start at Metro Transit’s 28th Ave Station in Bloomington — which, as near as I can tell from using a number of variations, is not recognized by Google Transit so I wound up using cross streets. I choose Davanni’s in downtown Mpls as my destination since that would require a transfer. I finally gave up trying to get Google Transit to recognize it as a location. So, while far from perfect, I’ll continue to use Metro Transit’s Trip Planner.
One feature that I especially like about it is, once you’ve got a trip planned, you can select the “Quick Personal Schedule” link and get a personalized timetable for times from your departure to your destination so if you want to leave earlier or later than you planned, you’ve got all of the details.
Metro Transit’s site kinda sucks on the iPhone whereas Google Transit works great (for Mpls). I was a bit upset when I found out that Boston’s transit system wasn’t in Google Transit. While they use Google Maps on their own site, I still would have preferred a native app.