I’ve been hearing tantalizing rumors that Google Maps is planning to integrate WMATA’s bus and rail information into its all-powerful brain to create a “take public transportation” option for searches using the ubiquitous directions generator. Since I’m a totally street smart Districtian who knows the Metro map forwards and backwards, naturally this service would not be aimed at me. But, I can see it being really helpful for those not quite as prescient in all things transit.
So naturally, when looking up some directions over the weekend (for a friend, I swear!), I got pretty excited when I saw that the drop-down menu had this option:
Huzzah! Finally validation from Google that we’re as important as New York!
Except that when I clicked on the Get Directions button, I got this screen:
Damn you Google! Why would you play with my emotions this way? And after the marathon and still unresolved wait for Street View in Washington!
So it looks like us D.C.ites will have to wait a little longer for public transit help. Oh well, I guess I’ll just kill some more time playing with Street View in New York (hey look, the Royal Tenenbaums’ house!)
[...] in reporting (seriously, it was a lot of hard work getting this scoop!) that Google Maps is pretending to have a public transit option for their D.C. directions without actually making the info [...]