The Central Maryland Transit Corp. — which manages the public bus service in Laurel; and portions of Howard, Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties — received a $1.57 million federal grant to expand its Transportation Resource Information Point, or TRIP, program statewide.
Through TRIP, the public can get a broad range of information on bus, rail, taxi and other transportation services online or by phone.
Many passengers use more than one transit system, such as taking Connect-A-Ride to Metro or the MARC train to Metrorail and then transferring to Metrobus. With the TRIP website and telephone assistance, transit users can get information on all of these services in one place.
The TRIP website, http://www.mdtrip.org has icons that can be clicked to access a detailed transit directory; schedules, maps and fares for various modes of public transportation; and handicapped accessibility information. A link provides real-time information on bus and train transit systems that are equipped with Global Positioning System technology, such as the D.C. Circulator, CMRT and transit systems in Prince George's County, the University of Maryland and Towson University.
For instance, if on last Thursday at 2:32 p.m., someone wanted to know what time the southbound E Route bus would arrive at Laurel Mall, they could go to the website and through the real-time icon, input their bus-stop site and destination. They would have been told that the bus would arrive to pick them up in 23 minutes.
Those without access to a computer could get the same information by calling TRIP's toll-free number, 877-331-8747.
"Anybody interested in transportation options to get from point A to point B can get it on our one-stop site versus calling various agencies," said John Powell, CMRT's CEO.
CMRT developed TRIP two years ago, and it is available to residents currently throughout central Maryland and the Washington metropolitan area. Powell said the website gets more than 7,000 hits a day. With the federal grant, CMRT officials will make information on the site available and applicable to transportation services users in all of the state's 23 counties.
"A statewide one-stop information point for reliable and affordable transportation will encourage the use of public transit while permitting seamless travel from region to region, across county lines, and throughout the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia," Powell said.
The TRIP site also provides information on ride sharing and other alternative commuting methods, such as bike riding, and lists commuter assistance contact numbers. There is information on the site that tells passengers if they can use cash, a credit card or a voucher to pay their fares, and for those who need taxi service from a bus stop or rail station, a list of cab companies in a particular area can be searched as well.
"You can go to Baltimore's rail web and figure out how to get around the city, but if you need a wheelchair van or something else, you can't get that on their web, but you can on TRIP," Powell said.
In addition, the TRIP site posts transit public hearing information and alerts when there are breakdowns or other bus and rail delays. For example, there was a press release last week alerting users that major track work would take place on Metro's Green Line on Veterans Day.
"The TRIP web is connected to the other transit systems, and when they put up an alert, it automatically goes to TRIP," Powell said. "Other areas have one-click programs (call or go online to transportation operations individually) but no one is doing it to this level, as we are with the one-stop, and not statewide. We will be the first in the United States with such a program."
CMRT officials estimate the statewide TRIP program will be fully operational within a year.