TransLink

[|www.tranlink.bc.ca]

Description
TransLink is the official Transit authority for the Greater Vancouver region. It provides one location to find information on all different sorts of transportation including buses, ferries, and skyrail trains. The site provides users with transit schedules, maps, and traffic conditions. TransLink also offers the an interactive [|trip planner] that allows you to plan your trip by entering your starting point and ending point. From the information that the user inputs, the site generates a list of possible routes the user can take from point a to point b. These routes will include information about the different modes of transportation that can be used, transfers that need to be made, fares that will be required, as well as time schedules that give the user a estimated time that the trip will take. This trip planner is an effective assistant for people who do not travel these routes regularly, or are making a special trip. This system would be a great basis for other major city transit systems.

How TransLink Trip Planning Works
This is what the main page looks like. There are three main steps involved in planning the trip. First the User inputs their starting and ending point by either entering the address or choosing the location from the directory of "Popular Locations." for this example I have selected to start my trip at Science World, and end the rip at Granville Island. Once the user has enters their destination, the system produces a list of three possible route, detailing how long the trip will take, if there are any transfers that need to be made, as well as the cost of the fare. Once the user chooses their route, the system gives a more detailed description of what the trip entails. It also provides the user with a map of the route, including different colours for each transfer.

Insights

 * Offers a link between many modes of transportation, not just one.
 * Provides a number of resulting direction for the user to choose from.
 * Takes into consideration traffic congestion when choosing map
 * Allows viewers to plan according to the time that they wish to leave as well as the approx. time each trip will take.
 * This is a great for of way finding as it gives the user more options than most systems. the user has more say in how they wish to get from point a to point b.