Google Transit - championing the environment's cause

The ever increasing crude oil prices and the precarious weather conditions threaten the way we live & commute. Cities around the world will have to embrace mass transport systems to counter the energy imbalances.

One website that's championing the cause of mass public transport is Google Transit. Google Transit is one of the most innovative mashups currently on the Web that's also very relevant to our times. It currently provides schedules for several cities across 9 countries - an unenviable task simplified by the Google Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format that transit agencies share their schedules in.

I discovered Google Transit in Seattle when I had to plan my commute from Bellevue to the Washington State Convention & Trade Center and I found it very friendly & helpful.

In typical Google style, the UI is minimal & intuitive. You just have to type your address of origin & destination and Google Transit will show you the relevant bus #'s, route map, estimated time, instructions to walk from & to the bus stops.

Google Transit is a great way to plan for a local commute and travel economically the green way.

In an overpopulated country like India, public transport is already popular. However it requires an overhaul so that the severely strained roads are de-congested. I would like to see more commute friendly options & an Indian version of Google Transit in India. Availability of tailored local train service schedules would be a boon to people seeking to take the local trains in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Related links:
Carpooling.in
Hyderabad Transport Information System - for ride-sharing in Hyderabad

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