[iRobbie]

Metlink Melbourne

[leoleakey]

oh
suddenly everyone is coming

[wholikespotatoes]

As a regular user of Metro Melbourne, this app is very impressive.

It is very similar to Metro in its interface, the one advantage being it has the trip planner (as found at Home - Metlink - Your guide to public transport in Melbourne and Victoria), allowing you to work out which trains to catch at a future time, or how to get to a unknown place (combining all forms of public transport).

That said... it is made by the same organisation responsible for our dismal train system.

Originally Posted by notarebel

Nope. It's made available by Metlink, but it's developed by NCM Dev - the same people who made Metro Melbourne/Sydney/etc.

Top stuff guys!!!

[matthewk]

Thanks for the heads up.

[pezza_mac]

I think that the similarities between Metro Melb, and Metlink Melb, are far too similar to be a coincidence.
I reckon the same developer worked on both or some major code/design theft has taken place. They function and look almost the same!
The JP is a VERY welcome addition!
I am so glad it is FREE!

[matthewk]

This app, while only 30MB (though still large for an iPhone app) is taking an inordinate amount of time to install to my iPhone. It took >5min to add only the MetLink app (and on the second go too)

[Comet]

Originally Posted by matthewk

This app, while only 30MB (though still large for an iPhone app) is taking an inordinate amount of time to install to my iPhone. It took >5min to add only the MetLink app (and on the second go too)

It's copying the database (~120mb) to the iPhone which unfortunately takes time.

[notarebel]

Originally Posted by wholikespotatoes

That said... it is made by the same organisation responsible for our dismal train system.

Nope. It's made available by Metlink, but it's developed by NCM Dev - the same people who made Metro Melbourne/Sydney/etc.

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by Comet

It's copying the database (~120mb) to the iPhone which unfortunately takes time.

Ah that makes more sense.

I should point this out I never used Metro Melbourne.

The journey planner is shocking, When I searched for "Melbourne Central" it returned a result in New York, "Richmond Station" returned a result near Werribee. I would much prefer having a test search option as well, instead of being forced to use data heavy search with maps, how about plain text for those on Optus.

The rest of the application is brilliant, and if this is how Metro Melb has been I can't believe I never used it. This is going to make my life of travelling to uni/city by public transport so much easier.

[laughingbird]

Comet, are you involved with producing this great little app? If so, well done, but a question for you too.

The blurb on the App store says that it provides "scheduled and real-time departure times", and one of the reviews suggests that it is providing access to Tram Tracker. Is that the case? If not, what sort of real-time data is it using for trams?

I just watched a tram stop out my window for ten minutes, and Tram Tracker seemed pretty accurate about a tram that had been delayed resulting in two in a minute, but the info on Metlink appeared to stick with scheduled time and so was not as accurate. It didn't appear to be making any real-time adjustments at all. Can you (or anyone) shed any light on it?

[Comet]

Originally Posted by laughingbird

I just watched a tram stop out my window for ten minutes, and Tram Tracker seemed pretty accurate about a tram that had been delayed resulting in two in a minute, but the info on Metlink appeared to stick with scheduled time and so was not as accurate. It didn't appear to be making any real-time adjustments at all. Can you (or anyone) shed any light on it?

The tram tracker integration is through the disclosure button that is on the right hand side of the stop name. If you tap on that, it will integrate with the tram tracker. Else, it'll just display the scheduled times like the case with all the other transport modes.

[Comet]

Originally Posted by matthewk

The journey planner is shocking, When I searched for "Melbourne Central" it returned a result in New York, "Richmond Station" returned a result near Werribee. I would much prefer having a test search option as well, instead of being forced to use data heavy search with maps, how about plain text for those on Optus.

It's use was targeted for address rather than landmarks.. If you add ",Victoria" it'll return the right location. But you're right, this needs to be fixed to hand landmarks.

e.g. "Melbourne Central, Victoria", "Richmond Station, Victoria"

[laughingbird]

Originally Posted by Comet

The tram tracker integration is through the disclosure button that is on the right hand side of the stop name. If you tap on that, it will integrate with the tram tracker. Else, it'll just display the scheduled times like the case with all the other transport modes.

Okay, I see that now. Can I ask why you did it that way?

Reason for the question: even now I know that, I don't see how anyone could just figure it out. There is nothing that tells you in advance that if you tap in one place you will get scheduled times, and in the other you will get real times. The real time screen does acknowledge Tram Tracker, but the acknowledgement is at the bottom and not usually visible unless you scroll down. And since they are both displayed the same way, unless you are really looking for it, there is nothing to tell you which you are looking at, scheduled or real-time. It seems a lot less intuitive that we expect iPhone apps to be.

Perhaps it would be better if there was only the one screen, and the left hand column which shows minutes remaining was always in real time (where available) and the second column showed the scheduled departure times. Perhaps the colour coding for the minutes remaining could be used just to indicate the difference between real-time information and scheduled time information (since at the moment I don't think it tells you anything that the numbers themselves don't tell you).

That said, I still think it is a very impressive app.

EDIT: It just occurs to me that if you need to stay with the two different screens, a simpler way of making it more obvious and intuitive might be to replace the stock disclosure arrow with a custom icon that indicated that it was linking to real-time, maybe even the Tram-Tracker beagle logo or something.

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by Comet

It's use was targeted for address rather than landmarks.. If you add ",Victoria" it'll return the right location. But you're right, this needs to be fixed to hand landmarks.

e.g. "Melbourne Central, Victoria", "Richmond Station, Victoria"

Well I was thinking it would be best if it worked exactly like on the website. Type in a landmark (or address) and if its not sure it will ask you to select which one is best. Surely that method would have been easier to code in than the map system as all the app would have had to do is act as a gateway between the server (and not have to calculate addresses when dragging pins around).

[mitty]

So I'm guessing there's no live updates for trains. Is there any chance this may be added later? As I posted in the tramtracker thread yesterday, surely it's just a matter of tying in the app database to the system that displays times at stations on the screens, or the one used when you push the green button on those boxes at the station? Okay so probably not that simple, but certainly possible.

[bok]

Originally Posted by mitty

As I posted in the tramtracker thread yesterday, surely it's just a matter of tying in the app database to the system that displays times at stations on the screens, or the one used when you push the green button on those boxes at the station? Okay so probably not that simple, but certainly possible.

For reference, the current system is known as PRIDE. Right now its not possible to hook into it, until they've finished upgrading Metrol, which is scheduled to be done this year last I heard. If you're interested in reading more about that sort of stuff check out Vicsig.

-bok

[mitty]

Ah yes I've been to vicsig a number of times, very interesting site.

To alleviate my boredom at work I actually considered applying for Connex Driver positions when they were last publically announced. The reason I didn't is ironically I don't own a car and you'd probably need one to get to work early in the morning, or leave late at night!

I feel sorry for the drivers and a lot of the connex staff... it's not their faults the system is crap and Kosky is such a stupid cow. But I'm getting off topic!

[Quamen]

Looks almost the same as the existing crappy metro melbourne app.

[wholikespotatoes]

Originally Posted by Quamen

Looks almost the same as the existing crappy metro melbourne app.

Real helpful. What don't you like about it?

[Quamen]

Originally Posted by wholikespotatoes

Real helpful. What don't you like about it?

There are numerous other user experience flaws...

When adding a train station to favorites, if I search for a train station it brings up a train line instead, forcing me to drill down and select the station I just searched for.

Why do I have to add a train station by line? There are plenty of stations on multiple lines that feed into the city where I would want to know the next train irrespective of the line. If I'm at jolimont and want to go into the city I couldn't give a rats arse if it's an Epping or Hurstbridge train. I just want the next city bound train. Other stations with more lines are even more annoying.

The whole app strikes me as though it were written to a feature list and not a list of use cases for mobile users.