The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) is pleased to announce the launch of a public transit trip planner with a pilot project in the northeast and panhandle regions of Nebraska. A test site is currently available to the public at trips.nebraskatransit.com.

NDOT is conducting the pilot project to determine feasibility for eventual statewide deployment. The trip planner application can be used on a mobile phone or a computer web browser to assist travelers in identifying travel options between two or more points – often termed “trip discovery”. Starting with a pilot in the northeast and panhandle regions allows NDOT’s Mobility Management Team to work with several travel modes and smaller transit agencies in a confined geographic area. The pilot projects will allow users to test functionality and identify issues before rolling out the trip planner statewide.

“Today, most people obtain information about available services through digital platforms,” said Kari Ruse, transit specialist for NDOT. “Using a digital platform will provide an easy and accessible method to locate information about public transit services in Nebraska.”

Immediate benefits of the trip planner for travelers during the pilot project include the ability to easily plan multi-modal or multi-service itineraries. Travelers will still need to contact the transit provider(s) listed along their route to schedule a ride and receive guidance on how to pay for their trip. Additional benefits of a future, statewide trip planner platform include integrated online booking and payment along with trip discovery for commuter focused vanpool programs.

Transit providers may see a potential increase in ridership and greater customer satisfaction. In the future, NDOT expects the trip planner to facilitate trip coordination among providers and increase efficiencies with automated scheduling.

Participating agencies include Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital, Chadron City Transit, Cedar County Transit, City of Neligh Dial-A-Ride Public Transit, Garden County Public Transportation, KCTS, North Fork Area Transit, Open Plains Transit, Ponca Express, and Tri-City Roadrunner.

To learn how to use the trip planner watch this quick video walk-through https://youtu.be/7KmYz2tU5lE or read step-by-step instructions on how to use the trip planner at https://irp.cdn-website.com/9c0b8ff3/files/uploaded/TripPlannerInstructions.pdf.

Reminder that participating agencies in the panhandle and northeast region have access to a large variety of marketing materials to assist in promoting the trip planner to their passengers and stakeholders.