Happy trails with Google Transit

Posted by Chris Harrelson, Software engineer & Transit team tech lead

A little less than a year ago we announced the launch of a new Labs product, Google Transit Trip Planner. We made it easier for Portland commuters to find the fastest and most effective way to get around the city using public transportation.

Today, we're thrilled to tell you that we've added five more cities to our coverage:

• Eugene, Oregon
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Seattle, Washington
• Tampa, Florida

Now riders in these cities (and Portland, of course) can use Google to plan trips using public transportation, and in some cities, compare the cost of public transportation with the cost of driving. You can also specify when you want to leave or arrive, and see different route possibilities. Here are some things you can find out:

• In Seattle, how to get from UW to Google's Kirkland office
• In Pittsburgh, how to get from brunch at Pamela's to a 1pm matinee at the Waterfront
• In Honolulu, how to get from the airport to Waikiki Beach

Stay tuned, as we'll be making many improvements in the weeks and months ahead based on your feedback. If you have comments or ideas about how this site could be even more helpful, don't hesitate to send us email.

The transit agencies in Google Transit Trip Planner now serve a population of more than 6 million people with over 1 million transit trips per day. For us, that's a fivefold increase in transit riders that we can help -- but we realize that it's still only a small fraction of the world's transit riders. To help expand coverage and to make it easier for transit agencies to get their schedules included, today we're announcing a lightweight Google Transit Feed Specification. If you're from a transit agency interested in being included in this Labs product, just write to us.