If you have lived in Metro Atlanta for more than five years or so, you have probably used MARTA, the city’s public transit system. In the past, there have been quite a few complaints regarding the ease (or lack thereof) involved in navigating one’s way through the system. One of the criticisms has been that it is difficult to determine which buses or trains will help one arrive at his/her destination at a particular time. Though the rail line only travels in four major directions (North, South, East, and West), MARTA’s bus system snakes out into Atlanta’s metro areas in several different directions. Thus, attempting to locate the correct bus route for one’s trip can also be a bit daunting. This is where the MARTA MyCommute Online Scheduler comes in.
How It Works
Upon logging onto MARTA’s home site (www.itsmarta.com), the user is brought immediately to the MyCommute Service located on the left side of the screen. The service works in three basic steps:
Step One: Departure Destination
Step Two: Trip Selection
Step Three: Trip Details
There are two fields into which to enter your departure location, and your desired arrival location. The great thing about these fields is that it allows one to enter the name of businesses as well as specific address information. Based on the information entered, the system will search through a list of potential addresses and venues; the user can then scroll through the drop-down list and select the appropriate location.
Moreover, the system offers multiple search options. For instance, a passenger may choose to sort the results by travel time, actual walking distance, and even the number of transfers required for the entire trip. Once all criteria have been selected, MARTA’s MyCommute system will produce the trip options available to you.
Using the Information
Once you arrive at Step Two (Trip Selection), you will see several fields detailing various aspects of the trip. Route(s), Trip Start & End times, Total Trip Time, Number of Transfers, Walking Distance, and the fare are posted for your review.
For example, if there is more than one bus that will take you to a specific location, all routes will be listed, along with their connecting transfers and other criteria. You will have the option to select the best trip based on your particular travel needs. Once you select a trip option, you will be brought to a screen that is even more detailed than the Trip Selection: Trip Details.
On this screen is a wealth of information. Per your trip selection criteria, your arrival time and date are listed, along with your exact beginning and ending address. What’s also listed are the actual walking directions from the bus stop(s) to the address indicated. In other words, MARTA has gone one step further (pun intended) in helping you navigate your way on foot as well as via the actual transit system. The Trip Details section also advises you of the number of Walking Distance miles that exist between addresses to the MARTA stops. This is especially beneficial to people who are tracking their physical activity for exercise purposes.
Underneath the Walking Distance section are the Step-by-Step trip details. Another thing that frustrates many MARTA bus riders is trying to “guestimate” exactly when the bus will arrive between the points indicated on printed bus schedules. For instance, if your house or apartment happens to fall between Point A and Point B on the schedule, it can be tricky attempting to figure out the “exact” time to be at the bus stop closest to you. This is where the Step-by-Step section comes in. Based on the physical address you enter into the MyCommute departure field, the system will locate the stop closest to that address, and approximate the bus’ arrival time at that location. Additionally, this portion of the system will advise you on the number of transfers, as well as the exact location of each transfer. To put the icing on the cake, a trip map is even provided for those who function better with visual instructions.
There are still many ways that the MARTA transit system could be improved. One of the main issues with this public transportation system has been the ease of navigating one’s way through it—in spite of the gaps in distance from one section of Metro Atlanta to the next. However, MARTA’s My Commute Online Trip Planner has taken much of the guesswork out of traveling the roads and rails.
