Most of you know by now that Apple has disowned Google Maps in the upcoming release of iOS6 and has replaced it with a native map application. We’re all excited to see exactly how Apple has Appled-out maps and navigation, but with the loss of Google Maps, we also lost an important feature that was nice for those of us who used more economic solutions to navigation. I”m talking about directions for regular old public transit – bikes, trains, buses, and our own two feet.
Recognizing that people use modes of transportation other than cars, OpenPlans, a non-profit (501(c)3) technology firm, launched a Kickstarter fund for OpenTripPlanner Mobile, an open source application putting transit back into the iPhone. It looks a little like Google Maps and will help users get where they need to go by walking, riding a bike (or bike-share system), using public transportation, or a combination of them all – a feature that Google Maps didn’t have. The app already has a coverage map that includes the majority of major transit systems and is accepting more.
OpenPlans says the project is going be completely open source (first of its kind) and will have an API open for developers. To the non-developers, this should excite you because this means the app will evolve and grow to become something really great with uses beyond our non-developer dreams.
To donate, visit OpenTripPlanner’s Kickstarter page and get behind a product that is aimed to create a better city. Making transit easy allows commuters to find the most environmentally and financially responsible way to traverse along their day. OpenPlan has a ton of not-for-profit projects designed to innovate the way cities and citizens interact for a better future.
Check em out and let me know what you think in the comments!
– Scott H.
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