RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
NBC4i.com wrote
Will She Be On Time? Hunt Tests COTA, Google
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008
By Donna Willis
COTA began a partnership with Google Maps to help commuters get to work more easily by bus. The interactive gives you pickup and arrival times to help you better time your trip.
NBC 4′s Mikaela Hunt entered ride information into the new planner and took the trip directions Google supplied, she wanted to go from our studios on Olentangy River Road to the downtown studios at Broad and High.
According to her planned Google “trip” it will take 38 minutes. She starts with a five minute walk to the bus stop. The wait begins…the map says the bus will depart at 11:07 a.m., it arrives 4 minutes late. The bus ride came to an end at 11:43 a.m., four minutes later than Google forcasted. Officials at COTA say four minutes is not much when you’re trying to save money. The Google tracker works for any bus rides taken throughout Franklin County.
Related Stories:
- Plan your COTA trip with Google Transit Maps
- New COTA bus-riders are filling up parking lots
The real question now is… has NBC4′s Mikaela Hunt ever been four minutes late to work while driving her car?
Stay tuned. Details at 11.
Nice picture of the photographer.
ha ha ha
I of all people don’t like COTA being late. But 4 mins doesn’t count in my book. And yea, your headline is good.
So do they have a second shadow photographer to photo the official photographer? Did the reporter actually take the photograph? I must know! :lol:
Having once worked at NBC4 as a reporter, I am pleased to see them finally paying attention to what’s happening as far as mass transit in Columbus. But at the same time, I’m wary when a reporter makes a big deal about being 4 minutes late, especially when you consider that buses are subject to the same traffic conditions as cars and trucks, with the added aspect of having to stop frequently to pick up and discharge passengers.
BTW: The videographer in the photo is Andy Banks, one of the best in the business: a real good eye for telling a story visually. Nice to see him get some attention. :)
this headline is makes me jealous.
i know a place where they pay you to write those kinds of tidbits.
or morsels, some call them. relating to the media, if you will.
:)
LOL this is ridiculous
Who give a flying crap if NBC4i made one time, big frigging deal that COTA now has Google Transit thing, it doesn’t make COTA look better.
They need to focus more something important than Google Transit.
Andy Banks, best in the business. He’s hot.
Just for the record I’m sure thats not more than a 20-25 min bike ride. So save your buck fifty and be 10 min early and healty at the same time.
They need to focus more something important than Google Transit.
Actually, I think the embedded Google Transit function makes COTA look a *lot* better, and not only look better, but actually *be* better. I think the new Google Transit will be particularly helpful for new arrivals who would find COTA’s proprietary maps visually … overloaded. It will also help established locals who thought that COTA’s previous proprietary route planner was just embarrassing.
Who said I’m not getting paid to write them here? ;)
+1
I never used their old trip planner. The syntax was too demanding for it to be helpful or quick to use.
The fact that COTA was willing to work with google and use their much better tool is a great leadership move. They can spend their time on better things rather than trying to fix their old broken software.
I wish I could have the 4 minutes of my life back reading that morsel and the thread. :roll:
This story is not as entertaining as Hobo Dave Kaylor.
Has anyone actually used the planner? I tried to use it to see about busing to the Happy Hour tonight…and it is really struggling with the whole “AM vs. PM” thing.
I’ve been using it pretty exclusively in the past week. So far so good.
I figured out my problem…I was trying to get a bus to a place at a time when they just don’t go there, and I think it was automatically telling me the next one…which was in the morning LOL!
I figured out my problem…I was trying to get a bus to a place at a time when they just don’t go there, and I think it was automatically telling me the next one…which was in the morning LOL!
Yeah it’s hard to find a bus to the whore house on the north side at 3a.m. I have had the same problem! :oops:
I of all people don’t like COTA being late. But 4 mins doesn’t count in my book. And yea, your headline is good.
So do they have a second shadow photographer to photo the official photographer? Did the reporter actually take the photograph? I must know! :lol:
First of all, the man holding the video camera is not a photographer. He’s a videographer. Whether the station also sent a photographer is unclear.
Also, this story is essentially ridiculous — another small-minded, suburban take on city news. That a reporter with an office at the epicenter of Columbus has only now considered using public transportation isn’t a story. It’s a tragedy.
It reinforces the dated, classist notions that people should approach something like the bus — or anything in scary Downtown — with extreme caution, reticence and, perhaps, lots of weapons-grade Mace.
Online hugs to you, you savvy poster. I totally agree.