Minnesota's Metro enhances mobile accessibility

Minnesota's Metro Transit is making it easier for customers on the go to get transit information on their mobile devices.

The agency launched an enhanced version of its website formatted for mobile devices, which offers easier navigation and more tools

Changes to the mobile website are in part a response to the dramatic increase in its use, according to the agency, which first launched a website formatted for mobile devices in April 2009.

With the enhanced mobile website, customers with smart phones have faster access to transit tools such as NexTrip to get real-time bus departures, route schedules and the interactive Trip Planner. Customers can use the Services Finder application to find bus stops and stop numbers, Go-To Card and other fare retailers, park-and-ride lot locations and more.

Another enhancement allows customers to insert their bus stop number into NexTrip as a faster way to see predicted departures for all bus routes serving a particular stop. Each of the nearly 15,000 bus stops in the Twin Cities has a unique stop number.

Customers using the mobile website also can get quick access to Metro Transit videos on YouTube and the agency's Twitter feed.

Metro Transit is a service of the Metropolitan Council. Customers boarded Metro Transit buses and trains more than 78 million times in 2010.