Victory Lap for TriMet


I like to think of myself as sort of the “loyal opposition” for TriMet – in agreement with their mission and supportive of their efforts in general, but pushing them to do a better job, and not afraid to point it out when I think they’ve made a mistake.

But today I’m an unabashed fan. TriMet has just recently published a new list of all the 3rd party applications that use their open data on schedules and arrivals. They’ve gotten some good notices on the Mercury and Oregonian blogs.

TriMet is the national leader among transit agencies on opening up their data, and this was reflected by the fact that they were the prototype implementation of Google Transit.

I’m happy to have played a small part in suggesting to senior management a few years ago that they open up their data – and demoed to them a web app I had written for my Treo by screen-scraping their Transit Tracker. This eventually became Transit Surfer, using first TriMet’s SOAP API, then later their REST API.

Clearly there was already motion (and a great technical staff) inside TriMet in the direction of openness, but senior management embraced the idea of leveraging 3rd party developers by making the data open. Many transit agencies charge for this data (much as Metro does for it’s GIS data, cough, cough).

So congratulations to TriMet for being an early adopter of the open data mindset, and well-deserved kudos on the results!

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43 responses to “Victory Lap for TriMet”

  1. I’ve heard that BART is the only other agency to provide real-time arrival data.

    fix their MAX ticket machines

    Part of the problem could be that they are proprietary. And that is limiting other agencies in providing data and controlling things, but not a problem at TriMet since Transit Tracker and other things, like the new interactive map, are done in-house.

  2. This has been on the TriMet homepage for a few days. It’s kinda funny that the tinyurl they provide for Transit Surfer is longer than the Transit Surfer URL (tsrf.us) itself!

    As I see it, however, the problem with open-source applications is they do nothing to address service reductions/cancellations, nor do they do what I think should be the main business of a transit agency: providing direct transportation services to the community.

  3. TriMet is the national leader among transit agencies on opening up their data, and this was reflected by the fact that they were the prototype implementation of Google Transit.

    Is this more important than delivering services to the public?

    Is this stuff worth the service cuts?

    NO!

  4. Jason McHuff Says: I’ve heard that BART is the only other agency to provide real-time arrival data.

    By “provide” do you mean “provide access”? Because real-time customer information is becoming more common all the time.

    Part of the problem could be that they are proprietary. And that is limiting other agencies in providing data and controlling things, but not a problem at TriMet since Transit Tracker and other things, like the new interactive map, are done in-house

    I think the real problem is that they have too many moving parts. TriMet finally has a real-time tracking system for all the TVMs, however, so at least it’s now possible to know when a machine goes down.

  5. Jason Barbour Says: As I see it, however, the problem with open-source applications is they do nothing to address service reductions/cancellations, nor do they do what I think should be the main business of a transit agency: providing direct transportation services to the community.

    Neither do they detract from that business; in fact, Open Source applications (including a number that are internal and not on that list) tend to be wise financial choices which free up operating funds. The third-party apps were, after all, built at no cost to TriMet at all.

  6. they do nothing to address service reductions/cancellations

    By the logic printing schedules does nothing to address service reductions. Clearly we could run more buses if we didn’t have all that printing expense.

    Making sure customers can locate (in space and time) the service they need is part of CORE service. I dare say the online publishing is far more cost-effective than bus stop signs, printed schedules, etc.

    And can’t we take one minute to celebrate something the agency has clearly done right? We have lots of threads on this site where you can take TriMet to task on other issues.

  7. By “provide” do you mean “provide access”?

    Yes, I do. Specifically, provide official “back-end” data for use by third parties. And regarding Transit Tracker, wasn’t TriMet one of the first agencies to provide (as in provide any kind of) real-time arrivals for such a large number of stops?

    And regarding service reductions, actual arrival information becomes more useful when service is running less frequently. If a line is running consistently every 10 minutes, the next vehicle will always be by very soon. But if a line is only running every half-hour (or worse), it’s very helpful to know that the bus hasn’t gone by yet. Maybe if they didn’t have a bunch of the technology people, they could put out a little extra service, but would that service be as useful? I don’t think so.

    Clearly we could run more buses if we didn’t have all that printing expense

    And with an award-winning Web site and Transit Tracker, TriMet has attempted to make that a little bit possible. Which gives me an idea…has there been any thought of having the phone system provide arrival times at other places for a given trip (e.g. call, select a stop, select a time, and then hear that the trip arrives at X at x:xx and Y at y:yy)?

    Lastly, what I would like to see is the detours page entries forwarded to Twitter, so one can keep track of what’s going on in TriMet land and (more seriously) tell how old a detour is.

  8. Lastly, what I would like to see is the detours page entries forwarded to Twitter, so one can keep track of what’s going on in TriMet land and (more seriously) tell how old a detour is.

    It’s on the list, but at least one Twitter test post took an entire day to show up.

  9. “And can’t we take one minute to celebrate something the agency has clearly done right? ”

    NO

    From my perspective you appear unethical in propogandizing and providing cover for what is clearly an out of control agency.

    The TriMet people need to understand is the real one here in this KATU story and video.
    http://www.katu.com/news/specialreports/50981032.html
    Could TriMet’s fat benefits sink the transit agency?

    And while TriMet cuts service and raises rates it’s losing $500,000 per month by continuing to operate WES.

    http://bojack.org/2009/07/all_aboard_for_the_strip_malls.html

  10. Just to clarify, I wasn’t trying to start the usual “TriMet gripe of the day” argument. (I and others in a group I’m involved with will soon have transitridersunion.info for that ;) )

    And, as I stated earlier, I like Transit Surfer! I have two bookmarks to it on my home computer (homepage and aggregate of 3 nearby inbound stops) where even on 56K it loads fast and speedy; and had several bookmarks for quite a few places on my thrift store notebook before it conked out. This is part of my point: technology requires riders and potential riders to have the requisite goods and services needed to access said technology, which these days runs upward of somewhere like a hundred bucks a month for the services, and several hundred for the equipment. All that’s needed to “access” a printed schedule is at least one eye and ability to understand the English language.

    Additionally, is all of this is coming at a time of record service cuts while more people need transit access.

  11. And can’t we take one minute to celebrate something the agency has clearly done right?

    Chris, this is very indicative of how TRIMET has set its priorities.

    They put all sorts of resources into this, and now we see the results of all these little special projects.

    There is nothing to celebrate from my point of view.

    Things are getting progressively worse here.

    First its the service cuts now its the vilifying of TRIMET BUS drivers as getting something they don’t deserve.

    This place is going downhill fast,

    THERE IS NOTHING TO CELEBRATE AT TRIMET!

  12. They put all sorts of resources into this

    Al, do you want to back that up with some data? I run web services for Xerox and taking data that you already have and exposing on the Internet is not a very expensive proposition. I suspect this was done with a couple of programmers and a handful of servers.

  13. Chris may call it celebrating. I call it blatant propogandizing and public deception.
    The tremendous problems and failures at TriMet are covered up by this relentless cover provided by the activists. Echoing every concocted TriMet PR is not doing the public or our transportation system any favors.
    It perpetuates dysfunction and advancement of bad policies.

  14. First its the service cuts now its the vilifying of TRIMET BUS drivers as getting something they don’t deserve.

    Can you expand on this with a non-video? I haven’t heard anything about TriMet bus drivers being anything other than some of the most professional almost anyone I’ve talked to them about has seen. Is it on oregonlive.com or some other blog like that, or is there actually citizens saying that TriMet drivers should be losing benefits or taking pay cuts?

    I’m not being sarcastic, I personally think the drivers in town are the best I’ve seen, as far as driving skills and being helpful. I’m just curious.

  15. al m Says:

    Al, do you want to back that up with some data?

    COMPUTERS R US

    You posted a list of IT positions at TriMet, which include all the people that support the entire agency, including the people who make sure you can stay in touch with Dispatch and that Maintenance has the right parts to fix your bus, along with a horde of other functions necessary to run a modern transit agency.

    Chris’ post had to do with an array of transit applications, none of which were developed using TriMet resources.

  16. There was an article in The Oregonian a few weeks back–here— on the (alleged) rudeness of some Tri-Met bus drivers. It wasn’t linked to or otherwise mentioned here in this blog, that I recall. Also the Portland Transit Riders Union considers rude driver behavior its #3 agenda item, after opposing service cuts and making the board democratically elected.

    But neither the PTRU nor The Oregonian are Tri-Met management…

  17. First its the service cuts now its the vilifying of TRIMET BUS drivers as getting something they don’t deserve.

    Actually, “John E.” linked to some of the vilifying earlier in this thread:

    “Could TriMet’s fat benefits sink the transit agency?”

    That’s KATU’s actual headline, still present on the article today.

    Traditionally, the adjective “fat” when used to characterize “benefits” implies that the writer believes those who are receiving said benefits are getting more than they deserve.

    So much for “unbiased” journalism. At least they didn’t rip off the story from us this time.

  18. But speaking as an IT professional, we in the computer business are used to being regarded as overhead by others in the organizations we support–whether its bus drivers complaining that Tri-Met should spend more money on bus routes and fewer on nerds, or Fortune 500 companies laying off computer guys and then wondering why their computer systems don’t work as well–it’s part of the job.

    It’s OK, Al. Figuring out the correct ration of backnd administrative support vs frontline positions for a given organization is a challenging thing. Whether Tri-Met is too admin-heavy, I dunno.

  19. All I know is that every time I go to the bus stop, I – along with practically everyone else there – am on a phone, checking out when the bus is going to arrive. Also, given the number of people I see getting to the stop in the last minute or two before the bus arrives, I’m guessing people are checking data from home or a coffee shop nearby, or…?

    It costs TriMet next to nothing to make their data available to developers. And look at all the cool ways that people have chosen to use it. There’s an obvious demand from riders for better transit data.

    All of you who like to talk about how much TriMet screws over the bus riding population need to recognize that knowing when your bus is going to arrive is a major part of making transit easier to use and benefits everyone. TriMet isn’t perfect, but not many transit agencies do it better when it comes to transit data. They are to be commended for their commitment to open source software developers.

  20. You posted a list of IT positions at TriMet,

    Woohoo! TriMet’s getting my resume then! You may not have meant to indirectly help me, but thanks Al!

  21. nuovorecord Says:

    All I know is that every time I go to the bus stop, I – along with practically everyone else there – am on a phone, checking out when the bus is going to arrive. Also, given the number of people I see getting to the stop in the last minute or two before the bus arrives, I’m guessing people are checking data from home or a coffee shop nearby, or…?

    It costs TriMet next to nothing to make their data available to developers. And look at all the cool ways that people have chosen to use it. There’s an obvious demand from riders for better transit data.

    I agree with all that. I do think TriMet would do well to invest the one-time resources necessary to systematically post the stop ID and Tracker phone number at every stop at which people could plausibly board. That minimal information is the least one would expect from an agency that’s already gone so far with tracker technology! The stop IDs system has been in place long enough that IMO there’s no excuse for not pasting stop ID/phone number stickers on every bus stop sign. They could hire some summer college kids to do it.

    That way, a casual rider (who might become a regular one) wih a simple cell phone could get arrival data.

  22. They could hire some summer college kids to do it.

    I didn’t see who did the upgrades, but the NW Upshur corridor had a bunch of bus stop upgrades show up recently, including the cool spinning schedules to find the next ride.

  23. So much for “unbiased” journalism. At least they didn’t rip off the story from us this time…

    Sorry to triple post, I just noticed this post though. Journalists are not unbiased, the first thing I learned in taking broadcasting classes in college was that “news is a delivery method for advertising.” The same way cigarettes are a delivery method for nicotine, the news is just a tool to get people to watch.

    A good journalist at least makes sure that they’re using accurate data and not manipulating data to increase readership.

    Ask the riders, especially those who have lived or spent time in NY, San Fran, Chicago, etc what they think of TriMet. Expensive, yes, but the drivers are helpful and it serves almost everywhere the region. If they don’t, transfer to C-Tran.

    I love being able to ask bus drivers “Where’s my stop?” and getting great advice. It’s something Portland is becoming known for, we’re quite helpful.

  24. Dave H. –

    An aside — I was a Broadcast Media Communications major @ OSU — I agree with your points, which is why I put “unbiased” in “scare quotes”. Even back in the early ’90s, the faculty was basically advising us to avoid the profession at all costs. :-)

  25. Every visitor I’ve run into LOVES THE PORTLAND SYSTEM.

    I’ve been following this media stuff for years and every single incident that is reported is blown way out of proportion.

    People hate buses, bus drivers, and bus passengers.

    We have a “right” wing element that can’t stand the idea of public funded transit.

    That mental case John Charles is a very good example of the kind of stupidity that is threatening our country.

    These are the same people that brought us to the brink of ruin by supporting GEORGE W BUSH, THE WORST PRESIDENT IN MY 55 YEARS ON THIS PLANET!

    We are in the middle of a smear campaign with the intent of breaking the union.

    They aint gonna have no transit system if they think we will buckle to all this media hype being shoved down our throats.

    As far as the IT positions I have no idea who or what they do.

    All I know is is if they went away tomorrow the buses and trains will still run.

  26. al m: As far as the IT positions I have no idea who or what they do. All I know is is if they went away tomorrow the buses and trains will still run.

    Actually, no. The buses would run for awhile, although no one would know where they were and eventually Maintenance wouldn’t have the right parts in stock when they needed them. And the trains do not run at all without IT support. Oh, and you wouldn’t get paid.

  27. Jeff old buddy, I never disputed that we do indeed need SOME CLERKS to handle the day to day paper work!

    As far as breaking the union, it seems there is some devious partnership happening between our top brass and the local media in conjunction with right wing paranoia spin organizations.

    Of course I am just guessing!

  28. Regarding this union contract which is expiring, if you look at the BART dispute in SF, you will see the EXACT SAME TACTICS being employed there.

    Make the employees look like the bad guys.

    It makes me wanna puke.

    Is this happening intentionally?

    I have a hard time believing our management would stoop to this, but listen to MARY FETSCH, she sounds like that rascal JOHN CHARLES.

    It can’t be complete coincidence.

  29. Dave H Says:

    I didn’t see who did the upgrades, but the NW Upshur corridor had a bunch of bus stop upgrades show up recently, including the cool spinning schedules to find the next ride.

    Upshur, Vaughn, whatever. Those sound like nice upgrades, but that wasn’t my point. TriMet has a whole plan (published in the TIP) to upgrade stops, from nice poles with schedules all the way up to full-blown shelters. They have formulas to decide which stop gets which upgrade, based on number of riders at that stop. That’s all great, but it’ll take many years to get to where all stops have been upgraded.

    My desire is simper. Since every bus stop has at least a pole with an old rectangular sign or a new round stylized one, it’s easy and cheap to print stickers, each containing the stop ID and TransitTracker phone number. One of those TriMet computers could custom-print these things in no time. In fact, the computer could print a series of stickers with the stop IDs in the order of the stops on the line.

    Next step: send some people (summer students? temps?) down the bus lines with those stickers. Their job: peel each sticker off its backing sheet and paste it on the sign. My point was that this could be done over a summer vacation period, and then every stop has a sign with its ID. To me, this seems like a no-brainer. Then anyone, at any stop, with an ordinary cellphone could call for arrival info.

    [aside]

    I called in myself once, on a quiet Saturday afternoon at an isolated stop on Marine Drive near Expo Center. The sign did indicate the stop ID and phone number.

    And my worst-case example is a stop on Glisan at the East end of Providence Hospital — a major building where the bus stop has a nice shelter but absolutely no information — no schedule, not even a stop ID.

    [end of aside]

    I know, this stickering process is slightly more complicated than that, because it would require a few steps up a step ladder. Maybe that presents unacceptable liability issues for TriMet.

    Or maybe not. My point is that doing this is really just a matter of focusing on it — it’s not a complex or expensive problem. And it can be done quickly, while TriMet’s elaborate stop-upgrade process crawls along.

  30. Michael Feldman Says: My desire is simper. Since every bus stop has at least a pole with an old rectangular sign or a new round stylized one, it’s easy and cheap to print stickers, each containing the stop ID and TransitTracker phone number. One of those TriMet computers could custom-print these things in no time. In fact, the computer could print a series of stickers with the stop IDs in the order of the stops on the line.

    Short answer: ADA

    Stickers up on bus stop signs do not meet minimal ADA requirements for information.

  31. Jeff, what would happen if a community group (say a non-profit transportation blog) printed up such stickers and organized volunteers to put them up?

  32. I have a couple of USB-capable label printers using different variations of thermal printing technologies… I’m willing to donate wear & tear and a hundred feet of label tape to the endeavor… is anyone else willing to donate a few hundred more feet? (Or is Laser the way to go to avoid sun fading and water damage? I’m assuming inkjet is out of the question.)

  33. Jeff, what would happen if a community group (say a non-profit transportation blog) printed up such stickers and organized volunteers to put them up?

    That’s okay, but may not completely limit liability if TriMet doesn’t match it. At the same time, I have a laser printer an a lot of free time right now. Do you have an Avery label #?

  34. Well, we’ve got hot sunny weather… we could test print on all the media we can come up with, set it out in the sun a couple of days, and hit it with the garden hose for good measure, and see if there’s any initial running or fading. The type of adhesive matters, too… for one of my label printers, there is an extra-strong adhesive tape available.

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