Metro launches new Web site

Transit

by Michael Perkins • December 8, 2008 7:58 am

Metro just launched a new version of its Web site. The content is mainly the same; it's just better organized. The front page ride guide now uses AJAX to give you suggestions as you type. More topics are now organized by transit function, such as "Rail" or "Bus". I've been able to find all the hidden corners of the site that I use to get information.

New WMATA Web site.

Something interesting I hadn't noticed before was Metro's list of center platform stations, used by people with disabilities to get where they are going much faster than waiting for a shuttle in the event of a platform elevator out of service.

Overall, I like the design and the new site. It definitely fixed the biggest problem with the old site: organization. A new visitor to the DC region could easily get utterly lost on the old site. This one has the ride guide at the top left, the most prominent spot on the page, and then along the top the maps and stations page, a link to the PIDS system data for the next train arrival, and the new user's guide.

15 comments — Share	— tags: technology, WMATA

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Comments

I like the new site. My top complaint about the old site was the difficulty of getting to the bus map. You had to go to "Maps and Schedules", then hunt down past many items to a very small link for each jurisdiction's map. Now, there's a big and easy to find "maps" under "bus" that still requires a second click to pick DC (or MD or VA), but it's much more straightforward.

Searching Google for 'dc bus map' never brought up the map before. I wonder if this new design will make it easier for Google to find it? (Putting some title in the PDF would help a lot with that).

by David Alpert on Dec 8, 2008 8:09 am

Yeah, I noticed this new site when I was looking for PID info on my PDA for U Street this morning. I'm mildly annoyed that whatever metro did, the PID links I saved don't work anymore.

by Steve on Dec 8, 2008 8:49 am

While the Trip Planner will give you suggestions as you type, its suggestions are not necessarily recognized in the system. Try entering in Stadium-Armory (accept the suggestion after a few letters) in the Trip Planner then click, submit. The station is not recognized, even though the site suggested it. No big deal since it gets you to an "in the ball-park" list of places, but its strange given the very specific suggestions.

by JT on Dec 8, 2008 9:29 am

aaaaand no Nextbus.

I just did a search on the site and came up with this online chat:

Washington, DC: Can you tell me when NextBus will be back online for the Metrobus system? I found the service to be extremely useful while it was being tested last year, and I was very disappointed when it went away. NextBus changed the way I used Metrobus, and I haven't used the bus system nearly as much since the NextBus pilot ended.

Reply: We plan to relaunch NextBus sometime next summer (2009). When we do, it will include making the bus arrival times available on the internet, LED signs/speakers and interactive voice response. So for example, at one point we will have internet capabilities for a limited number of bus routes, then we will expand to additional routes and the remaining communication mechanisms over time.

Ok, some of those things sound cool. But why are they claiming that they can't roll out the internet capabilities when they're already working!!!! What is Metro's problem with Nextbus? Why do they seem to hate it so? Why do they out-and-out lie about it?

If come "sometime the summer of 2009" (read: February 2010) all they do is list 10-15 lines on their website, that will be the final evidence that they don't want this functionality. They've been able to provide Nextbus info on dozens of lines for at least a year now but haven't. They initially shut the system down on what appears to be completely false pretenses. The initial roll-out prior to the shut down was very slow, which also was probably the result of foot dragging.

Maybe it's pushback from the drivers who don't want to be monitored. Maybe Nextbus is just an annoying organization to work with. I don't know. But the utterly listless approach WMATA has taken to Nextbus is unacceptable and demands an explanation.

by Reid on Dec 8, 2008 10:22 am

The links to all of the individual PDF bus timetables and bus/rail service status are not working either.

Still, it's a much simpler, cleaner interface than before.

by CKD on Dec 8, 2008 10:27 am

As a side-note, the new 'next train' page is not iPhone accessible, so I guess it'll still be meenster.com for me for now...

by redline on Dec 8, 2008 10:51 am

Redline, you can just go to the mobile site to look up next train times. It'a faster than loading the full site anyway http://www.wmata.com/mobile/

by inlogan on Dec 8, 2008 10:59 am

I think there's a problem with the mobile site. I used to be able to access it (and I do have a WAP capable PDA) and now I get a page authentication problem.

by Steve on Dec 8, 2008 11:02 am

Reid, preach on brother. I agree wholeheartedly. I wish we could have our own version of the Congressional hearings on the auto industry with WMATA. They should know that they need to have some accountability with their customers... you know, the ones they serve. They seem to take the opposite approach. Maybe Metro needs another shakeup/housecleaning.

by SG on Dec 8, 2008 11:12 am

The mobile site works for me on my WAP phone. The bookmarks to specific stations are broken though. I had to start at the main mobile page and surf to the right page and make the bookmaks again.

by inlogan on Dec 8, 2008 12:19 pm

Anyone know when WMATA is going to start working with sites like Google Maps? Looks like some of the tributary networks (MTA, CUE) are showing up on Google Maps, but still no Metrorail or bus.

by James on Dec 8, 2008 4:55 pm

James: the Metrorail map showed up for me in Google Groups:

http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

(click on "Google Map")

by Froggie on Dec 8, 2008 5:42 pm

James means having the schedules on Google Maps, aka Google Transit. For reasons they haven't publicly explained, WMATA has been slow to make the schedule data use by the Trip Planner publicly available and/or give it to Google to include in Google Transit. They should do that, so that others like Google can improve upon the WMATA trip planner. (Google's, for example, shows the route on the map as well as schedule data.)

by David Alpert on Dec 8, 2008 5:46 pm

i think the general reason for reluctance on part of transit organizations to make info available to google is (1) lack of respect for the public's wishes, and (2) google will do a much better job of providing transit info - wmata and others think they'll lose potential website ad revenue, and they will lose it - and too bad.

i'm always surprised when i see people using a transit agency's website instead of google transit (where GTransit is available) - it's not even a close comparison.

by Peter on Dec 9, 2008 4:52 pm

Googletransit does not have many of the options wmata's trip planner does. For example: select how far you want to walk, bus and/or rail combinations, elevator and escalator outages in itineraries, inline links to bus schedules, etc. I think exactly the opposite way, why go to someone else's website when metro's website would be the most up to date and inform you of service disruptions. I am sure Metro's data would be more up to date than Google's.

by mike on Dec 11, 2008 2:33 pm