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The Transit Trip Planner is an automated trip planning tool for the users of public transportation services.
Introduction to the Transit Trip Planner
How to Create Your Search
Activating the Search
Search Results
Advanced Search
Map Functions
WWW - Technical Info
Legend of Symbols
Transport Data Update
Please read also the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
Introduction to the Transit Trip Planner
The Transit Trip Planner allows you to search for the best public transportation connections between your origin and destination. The Transit Trip Planner is based on fixed-route public transportation services operating in the central Florida region that are provided by LYNX. The Transit Trip Planner can plan your trip on a door-to-door basis, providing walking directions from your origin to each and every transit stop and to your final destination. Any intermediate walking directions needed to transfer from one transit vehicle stop to another are also provided
Using the Transit Trip Planner to plan your trip is intended to help users make informed choices about transportation options. You only need to tell the Transit Trip Planner the origin and destination of your trip, as well as the time and date you wish to travel. The Transit Trip Planner automatically calculates possible transfers between routes and will suggest the most favorable connections available at the specified time.
The search results provided by the service are suggestions, which should be helpful with the planning of your trip. All generated itineraries are based on estimated travel times, which may be affected by weather, traffic conditions or other disturbances in the transportation system. LYNX is in no way liable for any harm caused by possibly unsuccessful transport connections suggested by the Transit Trip Planner.
You can customize your trips and save your own favorite locations and itineraries for future reference.
The use of the Transit Trip Planner web-based service is provided free of charge by LYNX.
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How to Create Your Search
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1. Origin and Destination The Transit Trip Planner will suggest several potential itineraries between your origin and destination at the specified time and date. First, you should select your origin and then your destination using any of the following methods:
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| 1.A) |
Entering a Street Address: You can use the text entry field to enter a street name, or street address to use for your origin or destination. For example: 700 Federal When you've entered your location, click the SEARCH button. You must type at least the first 3 characters of the street name used in your search. If there are multiple results matching your search, select the correct location from the pull-down list. If you type or select a street name without the address number, the service will request the number separately. You can also type the full address directly, followed by the City (e.g. 700 Federal St, Orlando). Accepted input will appear on the search form in bold blue type. |
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| 1.B) |
Entering a Bus Stop name: You can use the text entry field to enter the name of a Bus Stop to use for your origin or destination. For example: Mercy Dr and Sampson Dr When you've entered your location, click the SEARCH button. You must type at least the first 3 characters of the Bus Stop name used in your search. If there are multiple results matching your search, select the correct location from the pull-down list. Accepted input will appear on the search in bold blue type. |
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| 1.C) |
Entering a Point of Interest: You can use the text entry field to enter the name of a Point of Interest to use for your origin or destination. For example: Butler Memorial Hospital When you've entered your location, click the SEARCH button. You must type at least the first 3 characters of the Place of Interest name used in your search. If there are multiple results matching your search, select the correct location from the pull-down list. Accepted input will appear on the search in bold blue type. |
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| 1.D) |
Entering an Intersection: You can use the text entry field to enter the an intersection to use for your origin or destination. This can be done by entering the names of two streets separated by a @ character. For example: Colyer @ Woods When you've entered your intersection, click the SEARCH button. You must type at least the first 3 characters of each street name used in your search. If there are multiple results matching your search, select the correct location from the pull-down list. Accepted input will appear on the search in bold blue type. |
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| 1.E) |
Selecting a location using the Map: You can use the Map button beside the Origin or Destination text entry controls to open a map window. From the map display you can click on any point of the map to populate the location of your origin or destination. To improve the accuracy of the selected point to your desired location, you can zoom/pan the map to get a more detailed view of your desired area before clicking on the map to select your location. The street address closest to the point on the map you have clicked will be populated into your Origin or Destination for the search. If you wish to modify the point, you can simply click on a new point on the map before proceeding with the remainder of your search. |
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| 1.F) |
Selecting a location using the Location Index: You can use the Index button beside the Origin or Destination text entry controls to open up the Locations Indexes which can then be used to find your Origin or Destination locations from street names, transit stops, or points of interest. |
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| 1.G) |
Using previously Saved Information: You can click on the Saved Information button to select your Origin or Destination from previously saved locations By clicking on a location name in the Saved Information pop-up list, the previously saved location will be typed into either the Origin or Destination box. Press SEARCH after you have entered the Origin and Destination. Tip: If you click on a saved itinerary the Transit Trip Planner will immediately start the search, since a saved itinerary already has all of the necessary information. You can also save a location by clicking the Save link next to a found location. |
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2. Time and date
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The Trip Planner will use the current time as the default
departure time. You can also alter the time and date based on when
you want to leave your origin (Departure Time)
or arrive at your destination (Arrival Time). The Calendar link shows a calendar to help you select the date. In this calendar the current day is marked grey. The link New Search will always bring up the current time and date from the system. Tip: If you are searching for trips past midnight, make sure that you set the date accordingly. |
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Activating the search
After the origin, destination, time and date have been set correctly, you can activate the search by clicking the SEARCH button. The Trip Planner will show a trip summary of the itineraries under the tab Itinerary Summary, and detailed trip itineraries under the tab Itinerary Details.
The links Earlier and Later will adjust the time of the search to the next or previous available routes, and the link Now will update the search by getting the current system time.
The Save Route link will let you save the origin and the destination (and the Mid-Trip Stop in the Advanced Options) of these trips into your Saved Information list. If you select Continue, the Transit Trip Planner will start a new trip plan with the last destination as a new Origin and an empty Destination box. Selecting Return Itinerary will start a new trip plan with the Origin and Destination reversed. |
Itinerary Summary
In the itinerary summary view you can see the key information about suggested
itineraries including the trip times, routes and total
walking distances. You can inspect the suggested itineraries on the
map by clicking the
button, which will also show a listing of all stops passed on each route for this itinerary.
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Itinerary Details
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The detailed itinerary description will show all the information required for making the
trip. Each  icon is a link to show the location indicated by the text beside it on a map.
You can inspect the suggested itineraries on the
map by clicking the button that
will also show a listing of all stops passed on each route for this itinerary.
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Advanced Options
Clicking the link Advanced Options will open additional selections and settings below the basic search form. With these settings you can enhance the search to match your preferences.
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Mid-Trip Stop and Time at mid-trip stop You can enter a Mid-Trip Stop location similar to the origin and destination entries. This location will be a stop in the route suggestion. The Time at mid-trip stop is the period before the trip will continue from the mid-trip stop location to the destination. |
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Walking speed can be set to any of the following levels:
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| Max walk distance defines the preferred maximum walking distance for a trip. A trip that has more than the selected maximum walking distance will be displayed in red on the itinerary. | |
The method used by the Transit Trip Planner to identify the best trips can be set
in the Itinerary Optimization drop down list to be any of the
following profiles:
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| The Transfer margin is the required difference between the arrival and next departure at a stop while transferring from one route to another. The default margin is set to 3 minutes. If the estimated arrival time is 8:30 AM, it is possible to transfer to a vehicle departing from the same stop at 8:33 AM or later. Reducing the default margin can allow faster possible connections, but the reliability of the suggested transfers will also be reduced and the connection may not be successful in practice. Increasing the margin will produce slower but more reliable connections. Some transfer points have a fixed margin that will override the user setting. | |
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Route Exclude/Include With this option you can:
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| Number of results defines the number of itineraries to be returned by your search. The default is 3, but this can be also be set to either 1 or 5. | |
Top of the Help Page |
Map functions
The Transit Trip Planner includes an integrated map server, which allows
the following functions:
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WWW - Technical Info
Browser Requirements
The Transit Trip Planner is not designed for any specific Internet browser. It will work with most browser products and versions currently in common use. If the service does not function properly with the browser you are using, please let us know by using our feedback page //LYNX (please remember to specify the browser software and version you are using). We appreciate all feedback that will help us improve the system.
Cookies are small files saved on your computer by Internet services and re-sent to the same services when needed to restore your own settings. Saving your own searches and locations as well as other preferences with the Transit Trip Planner requires your browser settings to enable saving cookies on your computer. You can use most of the other Transit Trip Planner functions without accepting cookies.
Instructions to accept cookies with different browsers:
| Internet Explorer 5.0 (eng): | Tools / Internet Options / Security / Internet, select 'Custom Level' -> Security Settings / Cookies, select 'Enable' |
| Netscape 4.x: | Edit / Preferences / Advanced, select 'Accept all cookies' |
| Netscape 6: | Edit / Preferences / Advanced / Cookies, select 'Enable all cookies' |
| Opera 5.x: | File / Preferences / Privacy / Cookies, select 'Automatically accept all cookies' |
JavaScript
The Transit Trip Planner needs to have JavaScript enabled to have full functionality.
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Legend of symbols and colors
| Walking |  |
| Bus |  |
| Walking legs on map displays |  |
| Bus legs on map displays |  |
| Boarding/alighting |  |
| Origin/destination |  |
| Show Map Display | |
| Change Location |  |
| Location Index |  |
| Save Location/Search |  |
| Calendar |  |
| Saved Information |  |
| Return connection |  |
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Information sources
The Transit Trip Planner service is updated regularly. Please report any errors or missing data using the feedback page.