DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — I know I've already beat up on the MTA's new TripMaster software over at my blog, but they make it where I can't stop. Today they made it the default for all trips, not just advanced searches. I'm going to make this blunt:

Dear MTA,

Your new TripMaster software is incredibly bad. Please make it go away until you can get it to work correctly. If you can't do that, let me know and I'll write you something better. I'll do it for free, and I'll do it in a weekend. Just make this trash disappear.

Sincerely,

Eric Richardson

Update (2/06): Over on my blog Doug Anderson stopped by to give some good TripMaster info from inside the MTA. It's a good summary of some of the challenges they face and the changes they're working on.

Here's why I'm upset today... This morning I used the old software to find out when a bus would take me from near my apartment to Figueroa and Exposition, where I needed to go for a class. I said I wanted to arrive by 9:55, since it was a 10am class. The old trip planner told me to go to 6th and Hill and catch the 81 at 9:33am. I did that, and I was on campus at 9:50.

Here's what the new TripMaster 5000 tells me:

Take the 444 from 6th and Grand at 9:14am. Get off at Harbor Freeway/37th St.

What?!?!?!? You're insane. That's an extra half mile of walking. Plus you try to tell me it's $0.75, since "*Metro Bus Night Service, 50 cent discount between 9 PM and 5 AM." Guess what TripMaster? 9am is outside those times.

I'm about to go on a crusade complaining about this until somebody at the MTA listens. First they tell me that they don't see the point of NextBus, then they mess up the trip planner. I'm getting tired of this.