Another Thing on My DART Wish List

Wouldn't it be nice if DART would provide some kind of usabke online map showing bus stops and bus routes? Preferably an overlay for, say, Google Maps?

When I started using the bus for my transportation needs, one of the most difficult things was knowing where bus stops were located. I knew the stops close to my house, of course. But when I wanted to go shopping, or to a meeting, it was often challenging. I did not know for sure where the nearest route to my destination ran. And when I figured that out, I still didn't know where to get off.

Once there, it was often very difficult to figure out where to catch  a homebound bus. You'd think corresponding bus stops on either side of two-way roads would be across the street from one another. But that is often not the case. Sometimes they are blocks apart, and it can be hard to know in which direction to head to find the closest stop.

A good map overlay system would be such a blessing. One that could be pulled up on a cell phone with internet, just like Mapquest or Google Maps.

By the way... there is a .pdf file available on the DART website that contains a list of all DART's bus stops. It is definitely not cell phone friendly, though. And sometimes it is difficult to figure out the stop descriptions, because they refer to landmarks you won't know if you are not familiar with the area. I've used this list to try to figure out, in advance, where I can get off the bus when I'm going somewhere new, and also where to catch the bus when returning. But it has usually been a laborious process.

Determining just where bus routes run is even more of a problem. The NCCo Bus Route Map found (if you look reeeeeeally hard) on DART's website (see snip above), is a help. But it is hard to read... it really does not give the level of detailed information riders need. You can get a printed copy of this, but they are hard to come by... you have to call and request one or get one at a DART office. Most schedule outlets don't have them. Most people try to use the bus schedule maps, which are horrible. Not to scale, and they show only a few cross-streets. If you don't already know the area, forget trying to use one of these.