Our heart skipped a beat when we heard that some collaborative Twenty-Percent-Time at Google was being devoted to creating transit trip planners. We haven't bothered using the loathsome transit.511.org for a year now, since it relies on MUNI's completely fictional timetables and the world's most awkward maps. We dare you to even find route maps, or even a complete list of stops. ARGH. And NextBus is nice and all, but it's Java-ness makes our computer feel slow and unpretty, not to mention it just doesn't get transfers.

But Google! Ahhhhhh Google. You do things right. Go check out http://www.google.com/transit -- so far, this test version only works for the Portland area, of all places, but it makes us wet with envy. It understands transfers! And it maps your route out! And it tells you how much of your trip will be spent walking! And it knows how frequently trains are supposed to run, so you can make an informed guess about your wait time! And it even tells you exactly how much more the trip would cost if you drove! Google, add NextBus data to this magical concoction of yours, and we'll propose marriage.