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Back in my days when I didn’t have a car, I relied heavily on the TTC public transportation system to move about the city. It was (for the most part) a very reliable way of getting around. And it was certainly more affordable than a car. The bus service was (and still is) decent, the subway is clean and quick, and the streetcars are always an interesting experience (what could be more fun than being engaged into a conversation by some crazy person with bad breath and dirty clothing?). The one thing that the TTC lacked from a customer service point of view was a decent website to show you route maps, station information, and other important information that tourists and city residents need to get to their destinations. The current TTC website is inadequate to say the least. Not to mention, the design hasn’t changed in more than 3 years.

Enter the Toronto Transit Map. This piece of Google Map goodness was developed by Ian Stevens, a software developer at Monkeybean, a Toronto based company. (According to their website, “MonkeyBean Solutions is a company dedicated to making the buying and selling of adventure travel products as easy as possible.”)

I have developed something of an interest in the Google Maps API (I have a few ideas for some Google Maps applications that I would like to build in the coming months), so this application caught my eye. I’ve been playing around with it for the last few days to see how it works, what kind of information can be acquired, and so on.

The Yonge and Bloor Subway Station, at the heart of the Toronto, is one of the busiest subway stations in the transit network. It is one of my favorite stations as it provides easy access to the financial, shopping and entertainment districts. I wanted to see what sort of information this application could provide me if I was a tourist. I clicked on the little white circle and up popped a talkbox showing me the name of the station, the address, and a platform map. The talkbox also told me the station was wheelchair accessible and had restroom facilities. I like that. But aren’t there elevators there too? It would be good to know that as well.

Bus route numbers and routes are also available. The really neat thing about this, is that it shows you the direction of travel. Some routes have AM and PM routes, and those are displayed as well. I’m quite pleased to see that both features have been included. However, it would be nice to be able to search for a route number. For instance, I know that Route 122 runs in front of my building, so I tried a search for 122. No joy. It was worth a shot. Finally, you can also switch between map modes (Map, Satellite, Hybrid, and Transit) to see the map using different overlays, but that’s a standard feature of Google Maps.

All in all, this application is awesome. It’s fast, has the Google Maps interface we are all familiar with (say yes to easy learning curves) and it’s fun to use. The only thing I would like is to be able to print off the current map view. That would be good to take with just in case you need it. That missing feature would come in handy for tourists. Or people like me that are directionally challenged and need a map for everything.

If you are a frequent TTC commuter (or even if you are not), bookmark the Toronto Transit Map and use it for your next outing.