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Google Maps Will Help You Avoid Crowded Mass Transit in Way More Cities (theverge.com) 40

Posted by msmash from the aggressive-expansion dept.
Google is expanding the number of cities where Maps offers information about public transport crowding. The number of cities covered is increasing from around 200 today, to "over 10,000 transit agencies in 100 countries," the company says. As well as crowdedness, Google says Maps is also being updated to offer more information about past travel. From a report: Google Maps' crowdedness information originally launched pre-pandemic in 2019, but over the past year social distancing has made it more important than ever. Crowdedness information is generated from a mixture of historical location data, as well as self-reporting from Maps users on individual trains. Google says it anonymizes the location history data used. As well as expanding the crowdedness predictions to more cities, Google is also making them more granular in New York and Sydney. In these cities users will see how crowded individual train carriages are instead of just general crowding on the transit line. The feature works using data provided by transit agencies themselves, and Google says it plans to expand the capability to more cities soon.
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Google Maps Will Help You Avoid Crowded Mass Transit in Way More Cities More

Google Maps Will Help You Avoid Crowded Mass Transit in Way More Cities

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  • BFM: OK Google, which subway car is the least full.

    Google: Car 3521 is only 20% full.

    BFM: [Enter fully packed Car 3521] WTF, Google?

    Google: Oh BFM, you have to be faster than that.

    • I have a far simpler method for avoiding crowded mass transit.

      My car.

      On the other hand, it isn't like I've ever lived in a place where mass transit was truly a viable option for normal daily life....

      • There are places where it is the only viable option. Mostly very large cities.

        The crowds don't really bother me, although the lawless behavior kind of does.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by hey! ( 33014 )

          I've seen far more lawless behavior on highways than on subways. The thing that makes transit safe is the very thing that makes it uncomfortable: crowding. There has, in fact, been an uptick in crime on NYC's MTA due to lower ridership, but the rate is still quite low compared to the 1970s.

          • Good points. Either way, lawlessness never ends well.

            I do remember what the city was like during my first visit in the very early 1990s, and yes, in spite of the huge uptick in violence in the past few years, I'm pretty sure it's still safer now than it was then.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Ichijo ( 607641 )
        I haven't ever lived in a place where driving was viable enough not to need subsidies [taxfoundation.org]!

        • They tend to spend a lot of taxpayer money on them. Much of it is taken from taxpayers with cars, through various taxes on driving.

          Of course, those same taxpayers also contribute to the funding for government-owned (or sponsored) mass transit.

        • Not as much as mass transit. Here https://www.capmetro.org/docs/... [capmetro.org] is the budget for austin's mass transit. I'll spare you the read. The major points are the budget is 331M this year with 15M of that coming from tickets. The lions share of the operating revenue is sales tax on all goods and services purchased in the service area and generates 251M. They also get a windfall from toll charges that cars pay to run down MOPAC expressway. Council was elated when the demand charging was over 10bucks a car at pea

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Ichijo ( 607641 )

            The lions share of the operating revenue is sales tax

            Just like how the roads are funded [uspirg.org]!

            So let's raise the gas tax to cover 100% of the cost of the roads and watch the higher gas tax reduce traffic, and lower the sales tax accordingly and watch the lower sales tax improve local commerce. Or do you prefer more traffic and less commerce?

            • Except the regional tax in TX is ONLY for mass transit. Not used for road funding. But really, except in really dense urban areas like NYC, most people drive, so the tax they pay, pays for the roads they use. But again, in austin metro area, 2% tax is added to state sales tax of 6.25% for a total of 8.25%. that 2% goes straight to mass transit ONLY. Roads are funded by a combo of other taxes and tolls. Although as I pointed out in my first post, the toll road they added not only pays the bond cost but the

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by Ichijo ( 607641 )

                Except the regional tax in TX is ONLY for mass transit. Not used for road funding.

                Speaking of Texas, TxDot found that no road pays for itself in gases and fees [archive.org], and the gas tax would need to be raised to $2.22 per gallon to cover the cost of the roads. That's about $2 per gallon more than what people in Texas pay today.

                I calculated when the light rail was first added that the metro system could have given every single rider a benz E class car and still would have cost less.

                Giving every transit rider a car

                • You know, those roads have to be there and maintained for transport of goods too right?

                  Get rid of transport of all of our goods and you can shut the modern economy down too.

                  And as long as they're there for goods and commerce, why not let individuals drive on them too?

                  You act like all of us in the US have had a bad quality of life all these decades with our cars, etc.

                  I dunno about you, but I've quite enjoyed myself so far they way it has been.

                  • Re: (Score:2)

                    by Ichijo ( 607641 )

                    You know, those roads have to be there and maintained for transport of goods too right?

                    Because without subsidies, roads would not exist?

                    Get rid of transport of all of our goods and you can shut the modern economy down too.

                    If you are correct that subsidies are good for the economy, then we should also subsidize other things everyone needs like food, housing, and healthcare, right? Otherwise where does your socialist utopia end?

                    • I do hear you and others keep ranting about these "subsidies".

                      Are you saying that the US federal government pays cash payments to companies to keep our roads and cars going....paying private companies budget line items of money to offset what might be losses, etc?

                      I"ve just never heard of that...?

                      It's never been a complained about problem till recent years that I've ever heard of and I"m guessing I'm not the only one that hears this and doesn't know WTF this is....?

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by Ichijo ( 607641 )

                      I do hear you and others keep ranting about these "subsidies".
                      Are you saying that the US federal government pays cash payments to companies to keep our roads and cars going....paying private companies budget line items of money to offset what might be losses, etc?

                      By that definition, public transit isn't subsidized. I'm glad we cleared that up, thanks!

                    • By that definition, public transit isn't subsidized. I'm glad we cleared that up, thanks!

                      Subsidized, no...I agree.

                      But public transport is paid for directly by line item city/state budgets with that funding coming directly from citizens' taxes.

    • google will help the 5 people that bother, avoid crowed mass transit. everyone else will just continue doing what they want. its like when you look up a restaurant and the google page says that right now is its most busy time of day, none of those people already there know or care. and you still go because you're hungry.
    • Or in NYC...

      Me: OK Google, which subway car is the least full.

      Google: Car 3521 is only 1% full.

      Me: [Enter Car 3521, which indeed only has 1 person] OH DEAR GOD GOOGLE WHY? WHAT IS THAT SMELL? ROTTEN ASSHOLE BAKED IN A BAG OF VOMIT AND URINE?

      Google: Never ask for the least full.

  • Burke Gilman Bicycle Trail In Seattle (Score:4, Interesting)

    by mallyn ( 136041 ) on Wednesday July 21, 2021 @02:02PM (#61605077) Homepage
    Google:

    Can you please tell me when the Burke Gilman Bicycle Trail in Seattle will have the fewest bicycle pace line racers and rollerblade speed skaters so that I can safely walk with my walker on the trail without being hit?

    I can see where this would help frail elderly folks like me who are nervous using some of our multi-use-trails.

  • No. (Score:2)

    by PPH ( 736903 )

    The feature works using data provided by transit agencies themselves

    I don't trust transit data.

    In my area, we have two transit agencies. One is a reliable and convenient bus service that has been here for many decades. The other, Sound Transit, is a tax revenue scam. The bus service can get me from my house to the airport with one connection. But some years ago, Sound Transit got their fingers into the county bus scheduling software. And if I look up the times and route info. on line, it attempts to direct me to the Sound Transit buses. Which require more transfers, more c

    • Based on what you told me you either live in Pierce County, King County, or Snohomish. I am a supervisor in the IT department for Pierce Transit. One of my staff supports and tends to the needs of the trip planning software. Iâ(TM)m on vacation until Monday but if you send me an email to bcampbell@piercetransit.org. I would love to hear your perspective. Please put slashdot in the email title so I can spot it in horde of email I will have to go through.
      • One reason that sound Transit data may be mixed in with local is that we do Sound Transit service under contract. Our bus tracking system (CAD AVL) was never designed for this. We are working on a project to replace this software and the new system will be able to differentiate between the two types of service.Glad to help in anyway I can.
  • All this time, we thought people were avoiding public mass transit because it's unpleasant, inconvenient, and slow.

    • Yep, that's a huge factor. At my old job,. there was one co-worker who lived on the other side of tow, took the bus to work. It took him 2 hours each way. By car, the same trip only takes 1/2 hour. Costs are similar.

  • it's too crowded - Yogi Bear.

  • Or, even better, just avoid ALL mass transit and don't contract covid or flu or colds or get mugged or vomited on.

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