Transit Tools — Plan a Trip [already sent to mdv, but made a few changes since then. Need to finalize items in red, and act on messages bracketed with: < >]


Using the entry form

Tips on Setting Preferences <these will be filled in after info. arrives from mdv. Still awaiting descriptions from mdv to complete this>

✓      [Include a description here of how leave at vs. arrive by works, as well as the time boxes. For all of the preferences below, include how these options can help improve results.]

✓     [Include a description here of how the calendar and time window works]

✓     [Include a description here of how setting Fastest Trip, Fewest Transfers, and Less Walking will affect the various outcomes.]

✓     [Include a description here of the various fare categories for agencies as well as potential quirks if agency types differ from standard list.]

✓     [Include a description here of how walking distance is calculated along network, between any two points, not relevant if stops very close along same block, etc.]


Using the trip planner map

Homepage — Plan a Trip [slightly different from Transit Tools — Plan a Trip; we can change as we see fit]


Using the entry form


Tips on Setting Preferences < these will be filled in after info. arrives from mdv >

✓     [Include a description here of how leave at vs. arrive by works, as well as the time boxes. For all of the preferences below, include how these options can help improve results.]

✓     [Include a description here of how the calendar and time window works]

✓     [Include a description here of how setting Fastest Trip, Fewest Transfers, Less Walking will affect the various outcomes.]

✓     [Include a description here of the various fare categories for agencies as well as potential quirks if agency types differ from standard list.]

✓     [Include a description here of how walking distance is calculated along network, between any two points, not relevant if stops very close along same block, etc.]


Using the trip planner map <this will be a link to a separate trip planner map help popup>

Additional Options [one help section anchored at each of the three question marks]

- This is an intermediate stop between your one-way trip‘s start and end point

- Enter this location and length of stay before you continue to the trip end point

- Or, select from Landmarks, Popular Destinations, or Rail Stations pop-up box <this may or may not be ready in May – remove if not launched in May>

Home page — Nearby Stops and Routes Entry form

  • Or, click on the Select Rail Stations/Stops or Ferry Landings links above the entry form to get a pop-up box with a list of those locations. Select from the drop-down menu to populate the entry form. <this may or may not be ready in May – remove if not launched in May>

  • Enter a time around which you want to see transit service departures near this location.

  • Click “Display Nearby Stops and Routes” to see a list of Nearby Routes and Nearby Stops. This will take you to a results page and also display the stops on the map. If an exact match for your entry is not found, you will be presented with a selection list of possible matches. Make your selection, or type in a new entry and click “Display Nearby Stops and Routes” again.

Nearby Stops and Routes Entry form [similar to Home page — Nearby Routes and Services]

  • Enter a location or click on the map to get information on all transit routes and stops within the distance you select using the drop down menu, ie. ¼ mile or ½ mile. This distance is calculated over the street network, not as a straight line radius.

  • Or, click on the Select Rail Stations/Stops or Ferry Landings links above the entry form to get a pop-up box with a list of those locations. Select from the drop-down menu to populate the entry form. <this may or may not be ready in May – remove if not launched in May>

  • Enter a time at which you want to see transit service departures near this location.

  • Click “Display Nearby Stops and Routes” to see a list of Nearby Routes and Nearby Stops. This will also display the Nearby Stops on the map. If an exact match for your entry is not found, you will be presented with a selection list of possible matches. Make your selection, or type in a new entry and click “Display Nearby Services” again.

Nearby Routes [Results pages]

  • Here you‘ll see a list of routes for transit agencies that are within the specified distance along the street grid from the location you entered, near your specified time. Results will be sorted by mode first (grouped by Rail, Bus, then Ferry). Nearby transit stops will initially be all that is shown on the map.

  • Nearby Routes tab shows agencies and routes with route stops in boxes below them, while the Nearby Stops tab presents stops by distance from the selected point, and shows agencies and routes that use these stops.

  • You can map up to three of the nearby routes at a time from the list of routes, by clicking Map It next to the route, and view transit departure times and other features of interest near these stops by clicking on these stops on the map. Continuing to click Map It links or clicking the Unmap It links for drawn routes will replace the first three routes with new ones drawn in sequence.

  • Click on the route name or “+” symbol to see details on the stop distances from your location, the direction of the route, scheduled departures, or to map the route and/or link to the full schedule. Hint: click the “expand all” link to view details of all the nearby routes or the “contract all” links to return to viewing route names only.

  • When viewing the details of the routes, click Map It to view the route line on the map, in the specified direction of travel. You can view up to three routes at a time - see the Map Legend below the map for the definitions of the symbols and lines. Click Unmap It to remove the route line. For more details on the map‘s interactive functions refer to the map help section question mark “?” or click Using the Nearby Routes & Services map <this will be a link to a separate Nearby Routes & Services map help popup>

  • Depending on your location, there may or may not be any Nearby Routes.

Nearby Stops

  • In this tab you‘ll see a list of stops that are near the location you entered. Stops will be sorted by mode first (grouped by Rail, Bus, then Ferry), then listed by distance to the stop location, and street intersection corner (where applicable). The transit agencies that use these stops and stations will also be listed.

  • Click on the stop name for details on the routes that use that stop in each direction, scheduled departure times, and to map the route and/or link to the full schedule. Hint: click the “expand all” link to view all details of the nearby stops or the “contract all” links to return to viewing stop name only.

  • When viewing the details of the stop, click Map It to view the route line on the map that includes that stop. You can view up to three routes at a time - see the Map Legend below the map for the definitions of the symbols and lines. Click Unmap It to remove the route line. For more details on the map‘s interactive functions refer to the map help section question mark “?” or click Using the Nearby Routes & Services map <this will be a link to a separate Nearby Routes & Services map help popup>

  • Depending on your location, there may or may not be any Nearby Stops

Homepage — Regional Announcements [Add help “?” for this section]


  • Announcements listed here are regional in nature and/or include notices alerting transit riders of major delays or service disruptions.

  • Click “More Announcements” to see notices for specific transit routes and providers.

  • Note: construction of the final design for this feature is still in the works. The information listed is correct, but you may be re-routed back to the other, pre-existing 511 Transit website, where the announcements will be available, until this new website design is fully completed. Thank you for your patience.

Transit Tools — Rail Systems top section [Add help “?” for this top section]

  • Use the drop down list at the top to select rail stations of interest <does line have to be drawn first, or will choosing a station automatically bring up lines that it serves?>

  • Select your departure time, and date from the calendar (up to three weeks ahead) to view rail services leaving around this time. These will appear within information bubbles on the map when you select rail stations. Other information is also available in these bubbles.

Select rail lines to see on maps:

  • This section lets you view rail lines and stations/stops and also provides information about the customer facilities at rail stations. To view a rail line on the map, click on the check box to the left of the rail line name. You can view all lines for a particular provider by clicking on the check box next to the provider name above the list of lines, for example “All BART” or “All VTA”.
  • Hint: displaying many lines at the same time will often clutter the map. To get a better view of the rail line and stations, click one rail line at a time or zoom in to your specific travel area on the map before selecting rail lines.
  • If you are interested in getting information about a specific station or stop, click on the station/stop on the map to get a pop-up bubble with links to facilities details, departure times, full schedules, or to plan a trip to or from that location.
  • You can plan trips between stations using these links on the map bubbles. These will place your selected stations into the trip planner entry form, and allow you to create a trip which automatically applies a preference for travel via rail, when possible.
  • Click on one of the rail line names to view Rail Line Info, which includes information on each station‘s transit connections (bus, rail, ferry, etc.), and other station features.
  • This will open a new browser window, and display a diagram of connecting transit, accessible features, and bicycling and parking facilities at stations and stops along that rail line.

Homepage — Schedules and Route Maps

  • Agencies listed here are the main transit providers in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are grouped according to mode of transportation.
  • Click on the Bus, Rail, Ferry, Shuttles or Other graphic icons to see the list of providers by mode.
  • Clicking on one of the providers from this list will take you to the interior pages of the Schedules, Maps and Fares section of 511 Transit. For more help with that section, click on the question mark “?” when you get to the interior of the Schedules, Maps and Fares.
  • If you don‘t know the name of the transit provider you would like to select, click on the Transit Service Areas map to the left to link to a page where you can find it on the list of Transit providers which includes service area maps, or use the Plan a Trip feature and enter your start and end location.
  • Note: Some providers have multiple modes for transit, for example, MUNI and Santa Clara VTA provide both bus and rail service.
  • Transit providers with an asterisk (*) do not have their service data incorporated into 511 Transit or the trip planner, and will link to their external website.

Plan a Trip — Summaries

  • The trip planner will typically present a choice of four trip summaries initially (sometimes more when more trips score equally well on your stated preferences). At a glance you‘ll see the total trip fare, total length of time, departure and arrival times, total walk time, and icons representing the modes of travel for the trip.
  • Fare includes transfer discount assumptions. Total length includes walking and transfer wait time from start to end.
  • Fastest trip is based on the earliest arrival time, not the least amount of time on board the vehicles.
  • Walking time between all points is based on a default medium walking speed of X mph (this can be changed to a slower or faster speed under Additional Options).
  • Why isn‘t the first trip shown in the Summaries always highlighted initially? Because the trip planner returns at least one trip that is immediately before your specified preference time, in case you decide to leave earlier than originally planned.
  • You‘ll see details of the highlighted trip in the Transit Trip Itinerary section below for the highlighted summary trip. To view detailed itineraries of other trip options, click on another trip from this Summaries section.
  • Earlier Trips will show the trips immediately before your specified time that meet your preference criteria, and Later Trips will show those immediately after your specified time.
  • First Trip of the Day shows the earliest trips using your preferences that can be made that day, and Last Trip of the Day shows the last trips that day using your preferences.
  • [What happens for fewest transfers/less walking options, etc? Get definitions from mdv.]

Plan a Trip — Itineraries

  • To enlarge the font, click on the larger letter “A” near the header for this section. Click smaller letter “ A” to bring it back the original font.
  • The itinerary details each leg of the journey. Clicking on the address or intersection links will bring up a map bubble for that particular area on the map, and allow you to zoom in or request other information via links in the map bubble.
  • You can also expand the walk sections by clicking the plus sign (+) to get turn-by-turn walking directions.
  • When you click on the route leg on the map, you‘ll see a pop-up bubble with details of that portion of the route. Clicking on stops or station symbols will bring up a map bubble with further interactive links. For more details on the map‘s interactive functions refer to the map help section question mark “?” or click Using the trip planner map <this will be a link to a separate trip planner map help popup>
  • See the Map Legend below the map for the definitions of the symbols and lines.
  • Reverse Trip reverses your start and end point, taking you back to the entry form to set your other preferences. Onward Trip allows you to continue another trip plan leg from your last destination.
  • Revise Search reopens the entry form with the last entries you used. New Search resets the trip planner with a blank entry form to start a new trip plan entry.
  • The Send Comments button near the bottom allows you to send notes or comments about your trip plan itinerary to 511 Transit, and includes information that allows them to diagnose issues that you may encounter with yourtrip plan
  • The Email button allows you to send yourself or someone else your itinerary and a message.
  • You can print an itinerary as text only using the “Print without map” link, or print the itinerary plus all maps (overview trip map plus all walking / transfer maps) as an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file using the “Print PDF-with map” link. The file with maps will take longer to create. Or, you can print individual map views of your choosing from the “Print Map” link on the top of the map.
  • [note: Save to My511 won‘t come until later]