TTC riders looking for directions can now plan their trips in advance from home, and figure out how long that trip will take.

The TTC launched a test version of a new online trip planner Tuesday, available at www.ttc.ca.

It allows commuters to plan their routes and transfers by typing in an address, main intersection or landmark as a starting point or destination.

Searchers then input their preferred departure or arrival times, and the tool will tell users which routes to take and also calculate the length of each trip.

Users do not need addresses to look up directions for major landmarks such as TTC stations, hospitals, the Air Canada Centre, and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Travellers can restrict their search to subways, buses or streetcars or a combination of all three. The TTC says users can also choose walking-only routes for trips under 2 kilometres.

The tool allows riders to find accessible routes, bus routes with bike racks, and select an option that allows them to see points of interest along the way.

The TTC says once the tool is fully complete it will include a mobile application, alternate route suggestions, and more major points of interest to choose from.

It says it will also release the data to Google maps.

Bugs need fixing

The website is in beta mode, and there are still a few bugs to work out.

Users posted messages online expressing frustration with a number of problems, with one person calling the tool "erratic" and "mediocre," because it does not recognize some basic destinations like TTC stations.

One person said they typed in "St. George" hoping to get the station, but got directions for a country club in Etobicoke instead.

Other users said the planner provides unnecessary surface routes when subway routes will take them to their destination without the extra transfers.

For example, when selecting a trip from the CN Tower to the Eaton Centre, the planner suggests taking the King streetcar and then transferring to the subway, rather than suggesting users just take the subway at nearby Union station.

Some users found that the planner favours buses over subways and streetcars.

In another case, the planner suggested avoiding the subway altogether when it would be the better choice. A user wrote that the planner recommended he take a bus between Yonge and Queen stations instead of the subway— which travels directly below the suggested bus and without interference from street traffic.

Another user said the website told him to take the King streetcar for a trip along Queen Street. It neglected to find information for the popular 501 Queen streetcar that runs along most of Queen Street.

Others found that the tool would often provide error messages and looks distorted on an iPhone.

One crucial detail it also lacks is telling users which station should be their stop.

It will direct users to choose the Bloor-Danforth subway line towards Kipling, for example, but does not indicate which station riders should use to transfer to a bus or streetcar route.

When searching directions to the CNE, the tool suggested users take the Bloor-Danforth subway to Kipling, and that they should take the 511 streetcar—but it does not say that the streetcar can be found at Bathurst station.

The tool also confused street names. When requesting a trip starting at Warden Avenue and Danforth Avenue, the planner provided results for Danforth Road.

The planner also misspells Runnymede station as "Rennymede."

Many cities in North America, including Ottawa, Edmonton, Chicago and San Francisco already have online trip planners.

Toronto residents frustrated at the lack of online options from the TTC launched their own planner called MyTTC in 2007 but it was maintained by users and did not provide completely accurate results.

The TTC is seeking feedback from riders on the test version.