Transit at your finger tips.

What if you could send text the folks at ITP from your mobile phone and receive a step-by-step transit itinerary? No more fumbling with a timetable and service map. This is exactly what a new service in Portland, OR. is offering to customers of its TriMet transit system. Rail and bus riders in the metro area can simply send a text containing: origin, destination, departure and arrival time. This free service will send a message on how to reach the destination point via the multi-modal system in that city.

A similar service for Grand Rapids could be a tool to help attract non-riders by bringing transit to their fingertips -- literally. What makes this service a great tool is that it reduces the time needed for planning a trip. A potential feature for a local service could be up to the minute arrival times not just preset timetables. For example, if a bus is stuck in traffic or somehow gets behind schedule, the itinerary will reflect that. If such a system were implemented in GR, how helpful would it be? Could it attract new riders?