Google has updated Google Maps to include a Transit layer feature. The ability to get public transport directions has been on Google Maps for a while. However the Transit Layer where you can see and click on transit stops is new. Google is working feverishly to include various forms for mass transit and integrate the transfer points between them. When you visit maps.google.com/transit you find a heatmap representation with pins that indicate where Google can offer you full schedule routing. This will be very helpful in Seattle this summer when Link Light Rail starts running and passengers will need to take a buses and streetcars that connect with the train.
Meanwhile, King County Metro Transit's Trip Planner still looks pathetically like it did 5 years ago. It's text based only, and doesn't have any real-time traffic updating information either. Maybe we could save some tax dollars and King County could just point people to Google Transit and focus on providing much needed services that aren't so easily available in the private sector for free.
