Amtrak partners with Google

[danasgoodstuff]

https://media.amtrak.com/2024/09/am...port-more-sustainable-transportation-choices/ what do the members here think of this. I hate supporting a near monopoly and I hope they've tested the heck out of it, but this could be useful for many people. And possibly drive new traffic to Amtrak. From Amtrak Media Center, "Amtrak information will appear in Google search results when a user indicates they are considering rail travel between two Amtrak destinations. As part of this integration, Google will also show train suggestions when travelers look for flights on Google Search or Google Flights, helping people consider more sustainable options when deciding how to get from A to B. More information is available on Google’s blog.1"

 

[danasgoodstuff]

So, we all think this is a good thing then?

 

[Steve4031]

It lets people know there are other options than flying. Working with Google makes sense if you are trying to increase your customer base.

If someone objects to using Google, don't use it. This is targeting people who are already using Google; it does not force people who do not like using it to use it.

I may be missing apparent negatives. If there is something I am missing, I am willing to learn.

 

[jis]

It lets people know there are other options than flying. Working with Google makes sense if you are trying to increase your customer base.

If someone objects to using Google, don't use it. This is targeting people who are already using Google; it does not force people who do not like using it to use it.

I may be missing apparent negatives. If there is something I am missing, I am willing to learn.

Any significant downside to this is not obvious to me. Amtrak IMHO should strike more such deals. Getting visibility on widely deployed platforms is a good thing for business.

 

[JuniusLivonius]

It lets people know there are other options than flying. Working with Google makes sense if you are trying to increase your customer base.

If someone objects to using Google, don't use it. This is targeting people who are already using Google; it does not force people who do not like using it to use it.

I may be missing apparent negatives. If there is something I am missing, I am willing to learn.

The negative is that it appears Google has an exclusive data source that nobody else has access to and OP kinda hinted at that. Websites like railforless.us have struggled to do this as Amtrak tries extremely hard to prevent bots from scraping rail itinerary and fare data. RailForLess relies on web browser simulation to "appear human" to get fare and trip data for multiple days. Now we have Google just waltzing in and having this data for (apparently) free.

This is obviously "good" for both Amtrak and Google but I hope this goes the way of GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) which was a Google invention meant for public transit agencies interacting with Google Maps; it's a format and publication that transit agencies offer for anyone to use despite its close origins and continued association with Google Maps.