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Photo by Fredo Alvarez
The Washington Post ran a brief story today detailing the difficulties some users are having with the voice recognition software in the phone-based arm of Next Bus, for example, something that isn't too surprising given the relative inadequacies of other voice recognition-based tools across the spectrum. We've heard from readers who say that road noise at their bus stops appears to be impeding their ability to get the system to recognize their queries.
We've also noticed that some bus lines aren't providing very accurate arrival information just yet. Next Bus results in some instances are showing 70+ minutes before the next bus arrival, when in fact the bus is supposed to be arriving at regular 25 minute intervals. Those kinds of kinks could be due to issues with equipment on the buses, according to Metro spokesperson Candace Smith - drivers need to log onto the system in order to be detected along their routes, so if that wasn't done properly or isn't working, that could be one explanation for the discrepancy. WMATA plans to continue to test and look to improve the accuracy of information provided by Next Bus, and if you have specific questions about a problem you're encountering, the first place to start is their Next Bus FAQ.
But completely outside of the technology behind the system, DCist has found that WMATA has accidentally placed the wrong Next Bus signs - signs which are supposed to provide the relevant bus stop number in order to look up arrival information in the system easily - at stops around the city.
DCist tested every Next Bus stop sign within one small cross section of the city, composed of the greater Logan Circle area. In an area bounded by 9th Street NW to east, 16th Street NW to the west, P Street NW to the south, and R Street NW to the north - which includes several north-south bus lines (the 60 buses, 50 buses and S buses) as well as a couple of cross-town lines (the G2 and the G8) - at least six bus stops have the incorrect Next Bus number posted on their signs.
The first stop we noticed that was incorrectly marked was the eastbound G2 stop at 14th and P Streets NW. The Next Bus number marked at that stop was #1002913. But when that number is entered into the Next Bus system, it returns results for the northbound S bus lines stop at 16th and R Streets NW. That S bus stop at 16th and R was not marked with a Next Bus sign when we checked it.
We gave information about this discrepancy to Smith, who confirmed that the sign had been posted at the wrong location, and that WMATA will be sending workers out to fix it.
But other stops are also marked with the wrong Next Bus number, or marked with no number at all.
At 9th and P Streets NW, the westbound G8 stop is marked with #1001442 - which returns results for the eastbound G2 stop across the street. That G2 stop is marked with #1001466, which returns results for the same G8 stop, suggesting that the signs were inadvertently switched.
At 14th Street NW and Logan Circle, the eastbound G2 is marked with #1001446, which provides information for a westbound stop on the same line.
Similarly, at 16th and P Streets NW, the eastbound G2 is marked with #1001457, which provides information for the westbound stop on the same line at the same location. The westbound G2 stop at 16th and P does not have a Next Bus sign posted.
DCist staffer Rachael Brown reports that she encountered a similar switcheroo on her H1 bus line commute. She says the Next Bus number marked at the northbound stop at 23rd and G Streets NW returned results for an 80 bus which stops at the opposite corner of that intersection.
It's too early to tell how widespread the mislabeled bus stop problem might be, as Metro didn't seem to be aware of the problem when we alerted them to it. Of course, Next Bus users trying to access arrival information on a smartphone at a mislabeled stop can still find that information by selecting the stop manually, first choosing the route, direction and stop location within the mobile application. But it's not hard to imagine a scenario where a user might not notice at first that their results are really for a stop across the street, for a bus that's traveling in the opposite direction.
What should you do if you discover that your bus stop is incorrectly labeled? First, go ahead and find the correct bus stop information manually in the system. Then, call Metro at 202-637-7000 and report the issue so they can investigate and fix it.
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Metro: We can fuck up a wet dream. ®
I've also been noticing that a number of stops (many of which I use, unfortunately) don't even have a nextbus sign or number on them. Do these signs only go to major stops?
Indeed, the southbound stop at 14th and Park Rd. doesn't have a stop number sign that I could find either.
Also, interesting to note. From the WMATA website if you enter a stop #, there's a link at the bottom to create a bookmarkable URL. The javascript itself doesn't work (at least not in FF), and if you happen to snag the URL from the link via right click, it doesn't always refresh correctly. WMATA definitely makes some odd choices when it comes to their websites. Were I on their dev team I'd have suggested something a touch simpler when it comes to URLs like www.wmata.com/nextbus/[stop_number]. The annoying thing is that the stop number that is in the eventual URL that you bookmark has no relation to the stop number on the sign, either. Grr.
Similarly, on their trip planner, I really want to know what genius decided that overriding browser's auto-complete was a good idea considering most people will be planning a trip from one or two frequently used locations. Now, every time I use the trip planner I have to enter my ridiculously long home address again and again.
Metro screws up. Film at 11, 12, 1, 2, 3...oh hell.
I'm less inclined to blame this on inadquate software and more on mushmouthed babblers who can't f**king enunciate. I can't understand what half the people are talking about nowdays. Jeezus, at least once a week I get a wrong number phonecall where the tool on the other end of the line says something indecipherable like, "Hgwhanghghwahn? Is Hgwhanghghwahn?" And I'm like, "What?" And they're all upset at ME and yell, "HGWHANGHGHWAHN!?" And I'm like, "Look, a$$hole, first of all, I don't know what the f**k you're talking about and you need to get your sorry ass to Toastmasters where you can learn yourself some diction and, second of all, Hgwhanghghwahn can't come to the phone right now because my dick is in his mouth." SLAM!
And five seconds later, I get a call. "Carlos! Eees Carlos?" And I'm like, "Look, like I was telling your friend, Carlos and Hgwhanghghwahn don't f**king live here anymore! They're DEAD! Suicide love pact? Comprende? Verstesht du?" And I hang up and the phone rings again! So I yell, "LEAVE ME ALONE!" and this voice comes on. "This is the police! We've traced the calls! They're coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE!" So I rip the goddamned phone cable out of the wall....but the phone rings AGAIN! And all I hear on the other end is some disembodied moaning and static, so I have the operator trace the call and it turns out that it's my ex-husband who died years ago and the phone cable fell down during a storm and was HANGING ON HIS GRAVE! So, long story short, I blame illegal immigrants.
"I'm less inclined to blame this on inadquate software and more on mushmouthed babblers who can't f**king enunciate"
You do have to ask yourself who was the brilliant person who decided that voice recognition was the way to go on a system that is most likely going to be used by someone:
1.) on a mobile phone
2.) outdoors
3.) where things can get noisy/windy
I guess that's the best you can do with reverse-engineered crashed flying saucer technology. You'd figure after Roswell, we'd have some decent gewgaws and gimcracks. Or at least some jetpacks. Instead, all we got out of it was 8-track tapes, Pop Rocks, The Clapper, and $h!tty voice recognition. Can't wait until they roll this stuff into pay toilets. The deathtoll will be catastrophic.
That rant was just damned artistic! Inspired even!
Nice job, Metro. Aren't these types of mistakes and inaccuracies what they used as an excuse to take 18 MONTHS to get the full system up and running? Pathetic. They'll probably take it down again until 2012.
I'm starting to see how the city develops the local workforce: Summer Youth Employment Program > Mayor's Conservation Corp > Metro
I think you complainers are missing the big picture here: These mistakes aren't likely to kill people so you could probably consider this progress.
Hey, at least we haven't seen a telescoping Metro bus yet. God knows they do tend to run close together sometimes.
It's clear that some of the signs need to be fixed and signs put up where they're missing, but let's remember that there are 12,000 stops in the WMATA system - that's twelve thousand!
More importantly, you only need the stop number if you're going to use the IVR system - otherwise, just hop on-line and find your route and stop using the drop-down menus. You can even go to www.nextbus.com and do this. Once you find your stop, you'll also see the stop number should you want to use the IVR system at your stop. And for gosh sakes, bookmark the stops you use - home, office, pub, etc. and save them on your laptop or cell phone. Also - you can use SMS texting to get your predictions -
http://www.nextbus.com/wirelessConfig/sms.jsp - so you don't need to have a smartphone or mobile web.
I attempted to use Next Bus (via phone) three times this weekend. Twice, the signs were posted at the wrong stops, giving me northbound info when I needed southbound info.
The third time, I was with someone with a Blackberry and it worked like a charm. So, I guess I need to invest in better technology!
I'm glad the service is available though and look forward to the kinks being out. It would be helpful if WMATA had a designated info line/email address for Next Bus errors so we could submit them quickly and easily instead of sitting on the phone.