It seems like Translink ^[1] is finally coming up with some new ways of implementing time-saving technology to help with the growing transit-induced frustration in the region.

They have the recently-launched i-Move.ca ^[2], but what I find most helpful are MyBus ^[3], TextBus ^[4] etc. – apps and services that give you the info so you can plan your trip and get going. Things might be changing soon as Google took Translink by the hand and is introducing a brand spankin’ new Google Transit for Vancouver. Here’s an early review ^[5]:

^[6]

It turns out that Google Transit Vancouver is live: if you visit http://www.google.com/transit ^[7] and type in directions for two points in Vancouver, you’ll get reasonably good routes. Some are reasonable, like getting from Port Moody to Waterfront Station (it recommends the 160 in the afternoon, and the West Coast Express in the morning, though it shows it as a straight line hovering over Burnaby and Vancouver). Some aren’t so great: getting from my work to UBC they recommend taking the #4 or the #8 all the way, when I would have suggested getting to Broadway and Granville via the multiple ways to do that, then take the #99 B-Line express bus to the university campus. But still, did you see that? I can now directly link to transit directions so that I can share it online. [Just a Gwailo ^[5]]

All skepticism aside, this is a step in the right direction. They do have system maps in PDF form tucked away on their site but those are hardly precise and barely informative. We’ll see how it goes and what will happen on November 1 ^[8], when it is officially launched.