Public transport route planner
Encyclopedia
A public transport route planner is a type of journey planner
designed to provide information about available public transport
journeys, nowadays often made available as a Web application
. The application prompts a user to input an origin and a destination, and uses a journey planning engine
to find a route between the two using specified services using available Public Transport services. Since the choice of routes is more constrained than for a road route planner, and since it is not only about choosing a route but also about choosing a service on that route, it is also termed a journey planner instead of a route planner.
An Intermodal Journey Planner
is an advanced form of route planner that supports journeys with legs using different modes of transport, such as rapid transit
or metro, railways, bus
es and ferries
. Some route planners support door-to-door planning, others only between stops on the transport network
, such as stations, airport
s or bus stop
s. Time of travel may be constrained to either time of departure or arrival and other routing preferences may be specified as well.
has a multimodal journey planner covering all modes of transport in London, including cycling. A similar journey planner with all modes included is maintained by the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council
in Finland.
Other entities, including municipal government, state and federal government, and for profit companies operate web sites offer trip planning services for large metropolitan areas, or even country-wide. For profit companies typically operate sites free to people planning trips, relying on advertising or ticketing for revenues. For example
Google Transit based on Google Maps
, features journey planning using data provided by a number of transit operators in the United States and elsewhere. The Google Transit Data Feed open source software project is dedicated to providing support to transit operators to transform their transit data to the Google Transit specific data feed format.
Journey Planner
A journey planner is a specialised electronic search engine used to find the best journey between two points by some means of transport. Journey planners have been widely used in the travel industry since the 1970s by booking agents accessed through a user interface on a computer terminal, and to...
designed to provide information about available public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
journeys, nowadays often made available as a Web application
Web application
A web application is an application that is accessed over a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The term may also mean a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable.Web applications are...
. The application prompts a user to input an origin and a destination, and uses a journey planning engine
Journey Planner
A journey planner is a specialised electronic search engine used to find the best journey between two points by some means of transport. Journey planners have been widely used in the travel industry since the 1970s by booking agents accessed through a user interface on a computer terminal, and to...
to find a route between the two using specified services using available Public Transport services. Since the choice of routes is more constrained than for a road route planner, and since it is not only about choosing a route but also about choosing a service on that route, it is also termed a journey planner instead of a route planner.
An Intermodal Journey Planner
Intermodal Journey Planner
An Intermodal Journey Planner , or Trip Planner is computer system which can provide a traveller with an itinerary for an intermodal passenger transport journey. The system can provide timetable, routing and other travel information...
is an advanced form of route planner that supports journeys with legs using different modes of transport, such as rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
or metro, railways, bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es and ferries
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
. Some route planners support door-to-door planning, others only between stops on the transport network
Transport network
A transport network, or transportation network in American English, is typically a network of roads, streets, pipes, aqueducts, power lines, or nearly any structure which permits either vehicular movement or flow of some commodity....
, such as stations, airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s or bus stop
Bus stop
A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...
s. Time of travel may be constrained to either time of departure or arrival and other routing preferences may be specified as well.
Examples of public transport route planners
Many transportation authorities include a public transport journey planner on their websites. For example, a municipal government responsible for bus or rail lines would have a transport planner using their services exclusively, or possibly partnering or geographically closely related services. For example, the London Tube Journey Planner offers trip planning that specifically involves the London Tube. Transport for LondonTransport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
has a multimodal journey planner covering all modes of transport in London, including cycling. A similar journey planner with all modes included is maintained by the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council
Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council
The Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council was a co-operation agency operating in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, now replaced by HSL and HSY. The organisation had a few responsibilities, most notably regional public transport and waste management. It was subordinated to the city councils of the four...
in Finland.
Other entities, including municipal government, state and federal government, and for profit companies operate web sites offer trip planning services for large metropolitan areas, or even country-wide. For profit companies typically operate sites free to people planning trips, relying on advertising or ticketing for revenues. For example
- Deutsche BahnDeutsche BahnDeutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
provides rail trip planning for much of the European rail network, and local bus and metro connections within Germany. - UK National Rail Enquiries provides rail trip planning for the UK.
- Transport DirectTransport DirectTransport Direct is a division of the UK Department for Transport to develop better information technology systems to support public transport. It developed and operates the Transport Direct Portal which is a public facing multi-modal journey planner...
is a universal transport planner for the United Kingdom; includes many modes such as car, train, bus, metro, ferry, tram, cycling, and walking. - Journey.fi http://journey.fi is a multimodal journey planner in Finland including data from several major cities and long distance buses and trains. It is maintained by a Finnish government owned infrastructure company DestiaDestiaDestia is a Finnish contractor of road maintenance, roadworks, railways and other infrastructure construction. It is a government enterprise created in 2008 by privatization of the former Tieliikelaitos . This corporation, in turn, was a separated in 2001 from Tielaitos, state agency for road...
. - JourneyOn is Brighton and Hove's journey planning website that provides multi-modal trip information, including real time information. JourneyOn was the UK's first door to door cycling journey planner.
- PlymGo.com is a multi-modal journey planner that leverages Google mapsGoogle MapsGoogle Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
to allow travellers in Plymouth, Devon, UK to compare transport options (including cycling and walking)in terms of route, route gradient, cost, carbon footprint and calorie consumption. - Québec City's transit agency (RTC) introduces Trajecto online trip planner
Google Transit based on Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
, features journey planning using data provided by a number of transit operators in the United States and elsewhere. The Google Transit Data Feed open source software project is dedicated to providing support to transit operators to transform their transit data to the Google Transit specific data feed format.