PORT TOWNSEND — By the end of the month, travelers are expected to be able to plan an entire trip in Jefferson County via public transportation in less than 30 seconds, simply by Googling.
The same service is expected for Clallam County by the end of the year, through a state system that would not only link bus systems in different counties, but also tie in the state ferries, and private companies such as Greyhound, Amtrak and Olympic Bus Lines.
If testing the new system goes as planned, anyone with Internet access soon will be able to log onto the Google Transit application and print out a full itinerary for a trip using Jefferson Transit bus lines.
Transit officials contracted in February with Port Townsend resident Marcy Jaffe to input the route schedules, said Dave Turissini, general manager of Jefferson Transit.
He believes the agency is very close to having the system ready, perhaps as soon as the end of the month.
The goal was to have the system ready before summer in order to help reduce vehicle congestion in the tourist season.
“More and more people are becoming Internet savvy, and they expect to have this information at their fingertips,” Turissini said.
“If that is where people expect to get their information, then we are happy to oblige them.”
Terry Weed, general manager of Clallam Transit, said the agency has mapped about half of its bus routes for an Internet system.
“The goal is to have it finished by the end of the year.”
