Only a year and a half after its launch, the online transit trip-planner operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has reached another major milestone: It has provided Bay Area travelers with two million personalized public transit itineraries. The milestone was reached on Dec. 29, 2002, only six months after the first million mark was hit.

"The Bay Area public has responded enthusiastically to this service," said Sharon Brown, chair of MTC. "We’ve gotten comments from veteran transit riders as well as those new to transit, and the consensus has been that this is a concept whose time has come."

Hosted by MTC’s Bay Area Transit Information Web Page, <www.transitinfo.org>, the service currently allows travelers to plan transit trips involving 20 connecting local bus, train, and ferry operators, approximately 440 routes, and 11,500 bus stops and transit stations. Transit riders just type in the address, intersection, or landmark they are departing from and their destination, and the system will tell them which routes to take, when and where to board, and where to transfer.

Starting in spring 2003, transit riders can also reach the trip planner via a new web site now under development: www.511.org will provide traffic, transit, and other traveler information, just as the newly introduced 511 voice-responsive telephone number does.

The online trip planner currently generates itineraries for the following transit operators:

• Bus operators: San Francisco Muni, the transbay Dumbarton Express, and nine East Bay operators—AC Transit, Benicia Transit, County Connection (Central Contra Costa Transit Authority), Emery-Go-Round, Tri Delta Transit (Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority), Union City Transit, Vallejo Transit, WestCAT (Western Contra Costa County Transit Authority), and WHEELS (operated by the Livermore/Amador Valley Transit Authority).

• Rail operators: Altamont Commuter Express (ACE), BART, Caltrain, and Muni light rail.

• Ferry lines: Alameda-Oakland, Golden Gate, Harbor Bay, Vallejo Baylink, Angel Island-Tiburon, and Blue and Gold Fleet ferry services.

In addition to providing transit directions and schedule and fare information, the trip-planner can produce sophisticated, geographic information system-based walking maps that show how to get to, from, and between transit stops. The maps allow the user to zoom in and out and pan from one spot to another, taking in features such as parks, schools, hospitals, and other landmarks. The color maps can be printed out to take along on the transit trip.

The trip planner is also sbeing used by the telephone information centers operated by the transit agencies themselves, making the service available to members of the public who don’t have access to the Web.