The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) has launched a public transit trip planner with a pilot project in the northeast and panhandle regions of Nebraska. NDOT is conducting the pilot projects to determine feasibility for eventual statewide deployment.
The trip planner application can be used on a mobile phone or a computer web browser to assist travelers in identifying travel options between two or more points – often termed “trip discovery”. Starting with a pilot in the northeast and panhandle regions allows NDOT’s Mobility Management Team to work with several travel modes and smaller transit agencies in a confined geographic area. The pilot projects will allow users to test functionality and identify issues before rolling out the trip planner statewide.
“Today, most people obtain information about available services through digital platforms,” said Kari Ruse, transit specialist for NDOT. “Using a digital platform will provide an easy and accessible method to locate information about public transit services in Nebraska.”
Immediate benefits of the trip planner for travelers during the pilot projects include the ability to easily plan multi-modal or multi-service itineraries. Travelers will still need to contact the transit providers listed along their route to schedule a ride and receive guidance on how to pay for their trip. Additional benefits of a future, statewide trip planner platform include integrated online booking and payment, along with trip discovery for commuter focused vanpool programs.
Transit providers may see a potential increase in ridership and greater customer satisfaction. In the future, NDOT expects the trip planner to facilitate trip coordination among providers and increase efficiencies with automated scheduling.
NDOT is partnering with Olsson, University of Nebraska, Cambridge Systematics and TransitPlus to bring the concept to the state.
