Google Maps Now Tracks BART in Real-Time

By Taylor Friedman Wed., Jun. 8 2011 at 4:31 PM

Google

BART riders, kneel before Google

No need to rush out the door to catch that next BART train. We all know it will probably be late anyway. But to temper your anger over this often frustrating transit system, Google has rolled out its real-time tracking system for public transportation that's supposed to give you a more accurate estimated time of arrival.

The Google Mapping device is limited to six cities, including San Francisco, Portland, Boston, San Diego, Madrid, Spain, and Turin, Italy. The new technology is available on the computer, Android phones, and Smartphone HTML5-enabled browsers.

"All of the millions of users of Google Maps can use it for directions as they normally would, but now they can have up-to-date, real-time information," said Martha Welsh, a strategic partner development manager for Google.

Sorry, Muni riders, you're still screwed. Right now, the real-time tracking only works for BART riders. Yep, that means all other transit users are still stuck with the often incorrect departure times that have been on Google Maps since 2007. But rest assured, Welsh says Google looks forward to expanding the technology to other transit agencies.

To see how it works, watch the video below:

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Tags:

BART, Google Maps, late trains, Muni

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"We all know it will probably be late anyway. "Actually, BART does a good job at being on-time. MUNI, on the other hand, is wildly inconsistent. Real-time MUNI on Google Maps would be a much bigger help.

Sprague

I agree. From my experience, Bart is very reliable and rarely delayed.

Michael Smith

Maybe you should check out NextBus.com which provides the real-time info for Muni and about 90 other transit agencies.

Ben Buchwalter

This is great! I've found that even the iPhone apps for Bart schedules haven't been too reliable. Hopefully Google Maps will help my commute home from work and/or late nights in San Francisco.

Friendsofdelnorte

This would be very helpful when a train is out of service so as to get alternate service to your destination and we at the http://www.friendsofdelnorte.i... Friends of El Cerrito del Norte support it and add that it should be expanded for all of the Bay Area's transit systems at once not just BART.