iPhone, why do you hate public transportation?

September 19, 2012 12:14 PM

I did something stupid today and 'updated' my iPhone 4 to iOS 6.0. The new Maps app doesn't include public transportation options (as Google Maps did previously) which I use extensively here in San Francisco. What are my options? Will anything be as seamless as the Google Maps app was?
posted by 2bucksplus to Technology (13 answers total)

Best answer: Though nothing's been officially announced, it's widely expected that Google will be releasing a standalone Maps app that will work more-or-less like the old one did. Also, you can currently get pretty much the same functionality (including transit directions) by heading to maps.google.com in Mobile Safari.
posted by Tomorrowful at 12:17 PM on September 19, 2012 [3 favorites]

You can restore your phone from its most recent backup. (You backed up before upgrading, right?) You can also wait until Google releases an app store-available Maps app, as they are widely expected to do shortly.
posted by supercres at 12:17 PM on September 19, 2012

Best answer: I can't speak to SF specifically, but in NYC, HopStop is a more reliable/accurate public transit info service than Google Maps (although I'm still avoiding upgrading for this very reason.) It looks like it has info for SF, so try giving that a shot until Google throws their hat in the ring.
posted by griphus at 12:19 PM on September 19, 2012

Best answer: See previously. It seems like your best bet is to use maps.google.com in Safari and install it as a web app by selecting "Add to Home Screen" from the bookmark menu.
posted by theodolite at 12:19 PM on September 19, 2012 [2 favorites]

You can restore your phone from its most recent backup.

Wrong. You can restore user contents and apps, but you can't downgrade to a previous version of iOS. Once you've updated an iOS device there is no going back.
posted by alms at 12:25 PM on September 19, 2012

You can downgrade from iOS 6 if you meet a specific set of requirements, but it involves jailbreaking and mucking around with firmware which is probably more trouble than its worth.
posted by griphus at 12:31 PM on September 19, 2012

The Transporter app is great for SF public transportation stuff. I use it pretty much exclusively even with google maps.
posted by grapesaresour at 12:32 PM on September 19, 2012

OpenPlans had a Kickstarter campaign for their transit app, which was funded last month. No idea when Open Trip Planner will be ready for prime time.
posted by kendrak at 1:35 PM on September 19, 2012

Seconding Transporter app. After I downloaded it I rarely touched Google's Maps again. (At least in SF.) Doesn't just give routes and schedules but finds your nearest station/stop and live time of MUNI and BART trains.
posted by Ookseer at 2:29 PM on September 19, 2012

When I lived in the Bay Area (Oakland/SF) I loved iCommute SF. It wasn't really a trip planner though- you just kept track of your favorite routes and stops, and it would figure out the nearby stops. If you take public transit regularly though- that's generally all you need.
posted by rockindata at 2:33 PM on September 19, 2012

I've used Hopstop in SF and NYC. It works great in both cities.
posted by raisingsand at 2:39 PM on September 19, 2012

511.org has a comprehensive list of third party apps on their site (also their own).
posted by oneirodynia at 2:54 PM on September 19, 2012

Transporter is consistently crashing when I try it. iCommute has been pretty reliable for me, and it has essentially the same feature set.
posted by xil at 5:17 PM on September 19, 2012