Trip Planner Help

TRIP PLANNER

Trip Planner Help

Tell us where you're starting, where you're going, and when you're planning to travel. The Trip Planner will use this information to give you up to three routing options that meet your needs. It's fast, it's easy and it's accurate.

1. Entering a location
2. Setting the timing of your trip
3. Customizing your trip
4. Plan your trip!
5. Results Page
6. Uncertain Location Page
7. Personal Bus Schedule
8. Feedback

1. Entering a location

You can enter locations in three formats:
• address (3001 Hennepin Avenue S)
• intersection (Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street)
• landmark (Calhoun Square)

Addresses:

Do not use suite or apartment numbers.

Do not use any special symbols when entering your information. Take special care to avoid using the "@" or "&" symbol. Enter only alphanumeric characters.

Street names that include "Saint" cannot be entered with the abbreviation "St." For example, 110 St. Clair must be entered 110 Saint Clair.

You may use the optional drop-down menus to include the street directional. In an address such as 1000 Washington Avenue South, the word "South" is the street directional. The Trip Planner requires that the street directional be entered following the street name. For example, East 7th Street must be entered into the Trip Planner as 7th Street East.

A few addresses do not follow the usual form. The direction is part of the street name. For example, West Broadway and West River Road must be entered in the main address field with the word "West" preceding "Broadway" and "River Road."

Some streets do not have a directional, and the street directional system is not consistent. For example, it is Nicollet Ave in Minneapolis and Nicollet Ave S in Bloomington. Since the street directional is optional, you might want to first try your location without using the drop-down menus or entering a street directional.

The street directional and city name are usually not required. If the Trip Planner needs that information, you will be directed to the "Uncertain Location" page where you can select from a listing of possible options. Or you may use your browser's "Back" button and change your entry.

Intersections:

Intersections involving highways are not easily recognized by the Trip Planner. Try to use regular street intersections and avoid intersections such as Highway 169 and I-394. You will get more helpful instructions by using a precise address or a nearby intersection of two streets.

Many streets are known by more than one name. For example, some parts of Hwy 120 are also known as Century Avenue or Geneva Avenue. If one name isn't recognized by the database, try an alternative.

Landmarks:

Landmarks listed in the Trip Planner include shopping centers, major tourist attractions, churches, schools, Park and Ride lots, some of the larger businesses/employers and many of the larger downtown buildings.

There are several thousand landmarks in the database, but the Trip Planner may not recognize the landmark you want. You may need to enter the location's address or a nearby intersection. Likewise, if the Trip Planner can't find a particular address, try entering a nearby intersection or major landmark.

2. Setting the timing of your trip

The Trip Planner takes your inquiry literally. It will not produce a trip plan for a range of times or alter your arrival or departure time by even one minute beyond the time you have entered. To see all your alternatives for trips around your desired time, plan multiple trips using different times. The "Adjust Schedule" button on the "Search Results" page allows you to change the time in five-minute increments without having to reenter the address. Make certain you have correctly entered AM or PM.

The Trip Planner will distinguish between schedules for weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. It is extremely important to correctly enter the date and time you wish to leave your starting point or arrive at your destination.

There are four major route and schedule changes each year — usually in March, June, September and December. One week prior to a schedule change, the new times will be available in the Trip Planner and Personal Bus Schedule. By selecting a date before or after the schedule change, you will see either the current or changing schedule. No other future schedules are available on the Trip Planner or Personal Bus Schedule. See the Transit Information page of the Metro Transit Web site for other service updates (special routes schedules — MN State Fair, Holidazzle, and weather updates).

3. Customizing your trip

The Trip Planner will look for bus stops within a specific walking distance that you determine. The default setting looks for stops within one-half mile of your starting point and destination. You may adjust this by selecting one-quarter mile, three-quarters mile or one mile.

If no trips are found within the default range, you may return to the main Trip Planner page and change the walking distance.

You may direct the Trip Planner to look for the fastest trip (this is the default setting), or the trip with the fewest transfers or the trip with the least walking. Note: The fastest trip may have more transfers.

4. Plan your trip!

After you enter the relevant information, click on the "Plan Itinerary" button. Please wait a few seconds while the Trip Planner finds your starting point and destination, looks for routing alternatives and compiles itineraries for you.

The "Reset" button allows you to quickly clear whatever you have entered into the Trip Planner.

5. Results Page

The Trip Planner will display up to four itineraries for your route. Here you can also view detailed walking instructions to and between bus stops (in case you need to transfer buses).

You can also print maps and schedules for the buses you need to take. You will need Adobe® Acrobat to download and print these documents. Virtually all computers have this program already installed. If yours does not, click here to download it for free.

The "Adjust Schedule" button on the "Search Results" page allows you to change the time in five-minute increments without having to reenter the address. You can also plan your return trip by using the "Plan Return Trip" feature.

6. Uncertain Location Page

If the Trip Planner is not able to exactly match your starting point or destination with a location in its database, you will see a page with the heading "Uncertain Location." You will be told which location was not completely recognized, and you'll be asked to select from a list of possible options.

To make your selection, highlight your choice by clicking on it and then click the "Resubmit" button.

If none of the choices reflect your location, use the browser's "Back" button to return to the main Trip Planner page, and alter your entry. Be sure to check your spelling and verify that you have followed any tips mentioned in the sections above.

7. Personal Bus Schedule

Entering location and date
To see a bus schedule tailored to your specific itinerary, enter your starting point, destination, date, time range and walking distance. The input steps for Personal Bus Schedule work much like the Trip Planner. Please refer to sections 1 and 2 at the top of this page.

Setting the timing of your trip
A time range may be selected for only one calendar day. For example, you may select 12:01 AM through 11:59 PM. However, the Personal Bus Schedule cannot interpret 11:00 PM today through 4:00 AM tomorrow.

Schedule Changes
There are four major route and schedule changes each year - usually in March, June, September and December. One week prior to a schedule change, the new times will be available in the Trip Planner and Personal Bus Schedule. By selecting a date before or after the schedule change, you will see either the current or changing schedule. No other future schedules are available on the Trip Planner or Personal Bus Schedule. See the Transit Information page of the Metro Transit Web site for other service updates (special routes schedules - MN State Fair, Holidazzle, and weather updates).

No Route Found Page
If there is no direct route that fits your itinerary, your trip may require transfers. In that case, the Personal Bus Schedule will ask you to set locations and times for each leg of the trip. If you are not sure whether your trip requires a transfer, or you don't know the location of your transfer points, the Personal Bus Schedule will ask you to use the Trip Planner.

Select Route Page
Here, select your route before you can see your Personal Bus Schedule. The default is all the routes shown. Uncheck the boxes next to the routes you do not want in your schedule. Then click "See Schedule."

Schedule Results Page
The Personal Bus Schedule shows the bus stop nearest to you. If more than one route stops at the same location, the buses will be listed in order of time of arrival at that stop. Here you can also download or print PDFs of schedules and maps for your routes or create a different Personal Bus Schedule by clicking the "New Schedule" button.

8. You Can Help Us!

We would appreciate hearing about your experience with the Trip Planner. Just click here to tell us how the Trip Planner worked for you.

If you'd like a response to your comment, don't forget to include your e-mail address.