Since this site started, I’d had a rant planned about SEPTA’s lack of support for web-based tools like Google’s Transit site. Today, SEPTA Watch made those plans moot by announcing a site created by a group called SEPTA Made Better that lets you get train schedule information organized in a colorful, easy-to-navigate interface:

Of course, not only does the site (which can be reached now at iSepta.org) kick the shit out of SEPTA’s own Trip Planner application, it’s even better than Google’s tool because it knows you’re using SEPTA Regional Rail, and it doesn’t involve typing. While using iSepta for the first time, I was able to click three times and get times for my usual Saturday afternoon return trip to Malvern from 30th St. No cluttered PDF schedule to sift through here.

At first glance, the app has some shortcomings - albeit small ones, and ones that I am confident will be addressed in short order. (update: reading their Twitter, and now even more confident they’ll be fixed)

• First, it contains only regional rail information - no bus schedules, no subways, etc. It’s clear by the way they designed the app that this will change eventually.
• Secondly, the site has no train status information to inform users about late trips. I imagine that this information can be skimmed right off of SEPTA’s Trainview site and integrated into iSepta quite easily.
• Thirdly, this app is begging for some Google Maps integration of some kind. I don’t know how possible it would be to have this site detect, using the Maps tool on your phone (or the GPS, if you’ve got it) to figure out where you are and how to get to your closest station stop on the regional rail system.
• Finally, this tool is too damn good to be just for SEPTA. Guys, if you’re reading this: when you’re at a point where you’re comfortable with the app, please release it as an open-source project for other mass transit fans to use.

Again, I imagine that some if not all of those features are currently in the works. This is a very exciting tool, and one I will be using to plan my trips whenever possible from now on. SEPTA and a lot of other transit agencies should be falling over each other to hire these guys to replace their sites with ones like this.