Community Transit testing new trip planning tool

Aug. 11, 2020
Riders can try out the OpenTripPlanner and provide feedback over the coming months.

A new online trip planning tool is coming to Community Transit to help passengers plan bus trips throughout Snohomish County, Wash., and around the Puget Sound region.

OpenTripPlanner is a new tool available for both desktop and mobile use. It will be available to customers for the next few months as riders return to using transit following the COVID-19 outbreak. OpenTripPlanner improves and introduces new features to Community Transit customers planning a bus trip.

Some of the key upgrades include:

  • Integrated real-time service alerts and real-time bus departure information.
  • End-to-end travel preferences, including park-and-rides, ferry systems, bike and scooter shares and walking options to provide more flexible and customized trip plans.
  • A consistent regional transit experience, integrating with partner agencies like King County Metro and Sound Transit.
  • Future ability for a trip-planning mobile application.

Community Transit says versions of OpenTripPlanner are being used by other transit agencies, including TriMet in Portland, Ore., and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Philadelphia. With projects like Sound Transit’s Lynnwood Link light rail on the horizon, Community Transit says it is looking to proactively upgrade its systems in anticipation of expanded regional transit use over the coming years.

Customers are encouraged to try OpenTripPlanner and provide feedback through the included feedback form. That feedback will be used to consider whether the agency will adopt the new tool.