511 Mobile Offers Travel Information on the Go

OAKLAND, CA — Need transit or traffic information on the go? Several of 511.org’s most popular features are now accessible on an iPhone, BlackBerry or other smart phone with browsing capabilities. 511 Mobile is a new website customized for mobile devices that provides access to streamlined versions of the 511 Transit Trip Planner, the 511 Traffic Map and the Popular 511 Driving Times.

"The 511 service is a great tool that just keeps getting better,” said MTC Commissioner and Orinda City Councilmember Amy Rein Worth, who chairs the Commission’s Operations Committee. “The mobile service makes it easier to plan your trip home while you’re out running errands. You can check real-time traffic conditions on the live traffic map before you leave the parking lot.”

The mobile website is accessed at m.511.org from a mobile device. Other 511 features, such as real-time transit departure times and transit schedules, will be added in the future. Helpful tips and troubleshooting suggestions are available in a FAQ on both the regular 511.org site and the mobile site.

511 Mobile covers the nine counties of the San Francisco Bay Area. 511 does not charge for using 511 Mobile services, though you may need a phone plan that includes Web browsing. 511 reminds drivers to take precautions and stay safe while driving – use 511 Mobile before you’re on the road or have a passenger check current conditions for you.

The region’s 511 system was launched – on the phone and on the Web – by MTC in 2002. The San Francisco Bay Area was the first region in California – and at the time the largest metropolitan area in the country – to activate a 511 traveler information system. The service now generates more than 450,000 calls and about 2.5 million Web visits each month. MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

Contact: John Goodwin, MTC/BATA: (415) 778-5262 jgoodwin@bayareametro.gov