Calgary Transit has launched their new website and before you ask, no, there is no Google Transit integration with the redesign. While I’m not a frequent Calgary Transit user, I would have loved to see Calgary Transit integrated with Google Transit. If you have not used it before, it makes trip planning much easier than trying to figure out what buses and trains to take using information from the Calgary Transit website.

For example, if you wanted to go from the Vancouver Airport to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal you just need to right click the Vancouver Airport on Google Maps and select “Directions From Here” then right click Horseshoe Bay and select “Directions To Here” and you’ll get directions on how to get from Point A to Point B. Now, all you need to do is click on “By Transit” and you’ll know which buses/trains to take.

It’s been awhile since I used the Calgary Transit website to find bus schedule information but I decided to see what bus service is available in my area if I ever decided to commute to work (downtown) by transit. I had no idea what bus I need to take so it took awhile to locate it in the drop down list. Thankfully the route in my neighborhood is named appropriately (#179 Cougar Ride Express). Three clicks later, I see my schedule in a timetable format. I wanted to see a map of the bus route but I couldn’t figure out how to do it. Am I blind or does this option not exist?

I then see the “Location Lookup” option on the homepage. I guess I should have started here! After entering in my address and requesting a list of nearby stops I find out that the closest one is #7291. I then choose to plan a trip to the downtown core at 8:00am. I am told I need to start my trip at 7:35am (fair enough, the buses don’t run that often) by hopping on the #453 West Springs bus which will take me to the West Side Recreation Center at 17th Ave and 69th Street. I arrive there at 7:56 to board the #301 BRT (Bus Rapid Transportation) which runs along the future West LRT line. According to the results on the Calgary Transit website, I arrive at work at 9:32am! (Total trip duration of 1 Hour and 56 minutes).

It looks like the trip planner still needs a bit of work as the system can’t figure out that I should be getting off the bus as it goes by my office the first time. Instead it has me sitting on the bus while it drives to the other end of the city and then back to the downtown core. Hopefully the new website is a work in progress and we’ll see some more updates to it. Maybe whoever designed it will update the colors so they match the color scheme of the new buses and trains.