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Google Transit Now In Beta
KIondike writes "Google's introduced Google Transit, a new Lab product where users (or, "people") can map trips around their city using public transit. From the Google Blog: 'With it, commuters will be able to easily access public transit schedules, routes, and plan trips using their local public transportation options. This first release covers only the Portland, Oregon metro area, but we are working to expand our coverage very soon.' The amount of data they give seems very comprehensive, including time you'll spend walking to the bus or subway, and the amount of money it would cost compared to driving."
The problem with most transit systems and websites is that, like your link, they assume you already know what bus/train/etc. you want to take. What this service (and many 'trip planners') do is allow you to simply input the start and end locations, and it will determine what route(s) can be used and show you how to get there.
The DC Metro system has had a trip planner availabe for years now:
Metro Trip Planner
I always though that most major metro areas with well-developed public transit systems had something like this.