Getting from West Seattle to wherever on the bus is now just a Google away thanks to the next generation of online trip planning from King County and Google.

"This partnership between Metro and Google combines 21st century technology in a way that delivers sheer simplicity," King County Executive Ron Sims said.

Metro has provided the public with trip planning on its Web site for nearly five years, but the new Google product makes planning a trip on Metro even more convenient, Sims said. Among the advantages is a new feature using maps and satellite imagery showing arrival and destination points and an easy to remember name and address virtually everybody knows.

The Metro system is the largest of Google's transit partners, providing nearly 100 million trips annually and Metro's own Trip Planner is responsible for planning many of those trips. Last year alone, the product helped riders plan 7.5 million trips which shows reliance on the Internet continues to grow along with Metro's innovation and success in using technology in a way that makes trip planning easy for riders.

The new service, part of Google's "Labs" menu of prototype offerings, will rely on transit data generated by Metro - the same data it uses to help riders in King County plan their trip. When combined with Google's technology and mapping features, riders will actually be able to see details such as streets and landmarks, including satellite imagery of arrival and departure points. The feature even offers a hybrid image showing combined map and satellite views.

While the Google and Metro trip planning products are similar, there are some differences users will want to keep in mind. Google's Transit Trip Planner offers one trip most closely matches the arrival and departure information entered, while Metro's Trip Planner generally offers up to three itineraries. The Metro service also offers detailed text descriptions of bus stop locations and walking directions, as well as seamless travel planning for multiple transit systems in the region. Google's product offers trip planning for Metro routes only.

Transit riders can plan their trip by visiting the new Google Transit Trip Planner at http://google.com/transit or they can go to Metro's Trip Planner at http://tripplanner.metrokc.gov/