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Posted: 6/18/2009

Public transit riders in the San Antonio area now have one more way to plan their trips: Google Transit.

Previously VIA Metropolitan Transit has provided bus riders with the convenience of the Personal Trip Planner on the agency’s website as well as the assistance of Customer Service representatives on the Information Line, 210-362-2020. But now VIA route information is also available on Google.

Google Transit is part of Google Maps, and it is accessible when people click the “Get Directions” tab on the San Antonio map. After entering in a starting location and a destination and then selecting “By public transit,” riders can get suggestions for trips by bus that include stop information, route numbers, walking times, and travel times. A link to VIA’s website is also be provided in case more information is needed.

VIA’s presence on Google provides more exposure for the transit agency while offering more convenience and functionality for riders than is available with VIA’s Personal Trip Planner. Other users of Google Maps can also take advantage of the trip-planning feature. Instead of just getting driving directions when planning trips in San Antonio, now users can choose transit and have the option of riding the bus instead.

VIA will offer trip planning on its website through both Google Transit and the agency’s Personal Trip Planner to give riders options for planning their trips. If users tend to prefer Google Transit, VIA may eventually decide to use that tool exclusively.