Timetable NZ
Train, Bus and Boat times are now only a finger press away
Timetable NZ provides accurate and instant timetable data throughout the Wellington region for iPhone and iPod Touch owners. Leveraging the power of Google Transit and by utilising Apple database technologies timetable data is stored on your device. This means that you can view timetable data quickly anywhere, anytime without requiring a wifi or cellular data connection.
View timetables, save favourite routes to see impending departures and find directions to your departure station are just some of the handy features Timetable NZ provides.
Services setup with timetable data include: Tranz Metro, The Valley Flyer, GO Wellington, Wellington Cable Car, East by West Ferry and more. These combine to provide timetable coverage for the Wellington Region, Wairarapa & Kapiti Coast.
Pick a route from the list of routes, such as the Overlander train from Auckland or the No 83 bus from Eastbourne. The chose the direction that you’ll be taking.
Find your next train in a few simple steps!
Flick through the list of stops the bus, train or boat makes to choose where you’ll be departing from and where you’ll be going to.
Then touch the timetable button and viola! A list of departure and arrival times will be displayed for the day that you’ve selected and the route that you choose to take. The list will automatically select the next service leaving, so you know how much time you’ve got. If it’s a route that you take often you can add it to your favourites and next time you open Timetable NZ it’ll appear at the top of the list.
If you’re connected to the internet then the map button will show you where the departure station you selected is. And if you’re using an iPhone then the GPS location software will show you how close you are to that station.
Disclaimer
A future full of possibilities!
Wouldn’t it be great to actually be able to see where your bus is before you leave the door! At the end of 2009 the Greater Wellington Regional Council is starting development of a real time information system for bus routes within Wellington. With any luck Timetable NZ will be able to hook into this data feed and allow you to see where your bus is on the map, along with an estimated time of arrival. Trials of this new platform are starting in November 2009 and the system is suppose to be complete in 2011.
How about having real time information of delays and incidents affecting your train or bus? Metlink will soon be running an incident RSS feed to their new website which Timetable NZ will be able to read iPhone or WiFi enabled iPod touches will be able to read this this feed and inform you of any issues that might affect your travel plans.
Why only Wellington? Wellington is the only city in New Zealand to provide a data feed to Google Transit. Transport NZ uses this same feed to reformat the data in a timetable friendly way, rather then as route planner which is what Google Transit is great for. As more cities and transport providers in New Zealand sign up to Google Transit more and more timetables will be able to be loaded into Transport NZ.
Metlink in Wellington have been awesome enough to provide me with the data used in this Application. Beyond that this application is developed and maintained by eLounge Ltd and is not connected to MetLink in any other way.
The Auckland Transport Authority provides their data through a public google transit feed. Neither eLounge or ARTA accept responsibility for the accuracy of the data and any problems with scheduling information should be addressed to eLounge, not the ARTA.
Thanks to both Metlink and the ARTA for making this data publicly available to developers such as myself.