Roosevelt Island Tram On Google Maps Celebratory Ride This Morning With Congresswoman Maloney, Assembly Member Seawright & Council Member Menin - All 3 Express Support For Roosevelt Island Residents/Workers Preference Boarding Tram During Crowded Times

As reported last January 14:

... the Roosevelt Island Tram is currently on Google Maps in a test phase....

... The initiative to get the Roosevelt Island Tram on Google Maps was spearheaded by Alex Bores, a former Roosevelt Island resident with a Masters in Computer Science and currently Democratic Party 76 Assembly District Leader (which includes Roosevelt Island).

Mr Bores reports:

The Tram and Red Busses Launch on Google Maps 

The Roosevelt Island Tram and Red Busses (including Octagon Express) are now in testing on Google Maps. Residents and visitors can look up transit directions the same way they look up the subway.
Google integrates around 120,000 different transit systems worldwide. This includes many different transportation sources around Roosevelt Island, including the subway, the Hornblower ferries, and Citi Bikes, but until now, did not include the tram or busses.

I noticed the tram was not on Google Maps when a friend tried to visit me. When he saw that Google’s directions did not suggest the Tram, he assumed it wasn’t running.  I teamed up with Assembly Member Rebeca Seawright and the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) to accurately represent the schedule, and then coded it into the technical format that Google and other map providers use to show schedules...

... The schedule is still in testing, so the feed may change or be temporarily unavailable in the future. RIOC will provide updates to the schedule over time. The schedule is static, meaning it shows the planned schedule instead of tracking the real-time location of any busses or tram cabins. The goal is to launch it permanently by the end of February, as well as to have it appear on Bing Maps and Apple Maps (where currently the tram appears but not the busses)....

This morning Roosevelt Island Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright and City Council Member Julie Menin accompanied Mr Boras on a crowded Roosevelt Island Tram 

to announce:

The Roosevelt Island Tram and the Red Bus are now on Google, Apple, and Bing Maps thanks to the ingenuity and creativity of District Leader @AlexBores.

This morning we took a celebratory ride. Next step is getting the Visitor Center on the maps and OMNY implemented on the tram! pic.twitter.com/ZKs9nWSTuQ

— Carolyn B. Maloney (@RepMaloney) March 26, 2022

I spoke with Mr Bores and our elected representatives as they got off the Tram on the Roosevelt Island side about their celebratory ride.

 

Ms Menin added that the MTA is expected to install the OMNY system by the end of this year.

Also, all three expressed support for finding a way to give Roosevelt Island residents and workers cabin boarding preference during times when the Tram is overcrowded. 

Taking the inaugural tram ride with @AlexBores, @RepMaloney, @NYCJulieMenin announcing its placement on @googlemaps! Thank you Alex for working with RIOC and our offices to get this done! pic.twitter.com/mi0fKMhjSL

— Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright (@SeawrightForNY) March 26, 2022

Celebrating the addition of the Roosevelt Island Tram 🚡 to Google Maps with @CarolynBMaloney @SeawrightForNY @JulieMenin!

As District Leader, I fought to get this last form of mass transit in New York City integrated with online maps.

The tram connects RI to District 73! pic.twitter.com/9t1EYRCnav

— Alex Bores (@AlexBores) March 26, 2022

There was no representative from the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) present.