Bus trips on the DC Circulator can now be mapped within Google Transit, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty announced today. The move means that anyone attempting to get directions from Google Maps within the city will now see Circulator routes when selecting “By public transit” as the sorting option.
The change is welcome news to residents and visitors of Washington, D.C. alike, but it’s practically meaningless without the addition of WMATA. Having the Circulator info available through Google is better than nothing, to be sure. But as things stand, anyone even remotely unaware of the difference finds themselves with Google Transit results that makes it appear D.C. has only the Circulator plus a collection of commuter buses. Until Metro gets its data in there, the service is nearly useless.
For an update on where WMATA and Google are in their ongoing discussions, consult Greater Greater Washington.
