Online help for commuters

by David Spark on September 1, 2006

Commuters, this SparkMinute is for you.

We’re all well aware of the driving directional benefits of Mapquest and Google Maps. But what if you need directions and you’re not near your computer? Well, both have mobile versions.

Unfortunately, Mapquest’s version costs $4 a month. Luckily, Google Maps is free plus it offers traffic updates. Make sure your phone is supported. If not, you can always check traffic updates online.

Gas prices are out of control, and that’s why I turn to GasBuddy.com to find the cheapest gas. But rarely do I plan that well in advance, so instead when I’m on the road I send a text message of my zipcode to Synfonic and it spits back the location of the three lowest priced stations.

For those of us who are slaves to San Francisco’s transit system, MUNI, we’ve turned to NextBus where you can find out via PC or mobile phone when your bus will arrive.

Unfortunately, NextBus tracks only ten different routes.

But the number one problem with commuting is sheer boredom. And for that, I’d recommend bookmarking The Quake’s daily schedule.

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