Metro News Release

For immediate release: November 1, 2004

Metro Web site dons a new look

Metro unveiled a redesigned Web site featuring a fresh home page, page design and new color scheme at www.metroopensdoors.com last week. However, viewers to the Web site will benefit from more than just cosmetic changes: the redesign aims to enhance the usefulness and efficiency of the site and incorporates design features and functions for the region’s Web savvy audience. The revamped Web site provides simpler navigation to make finding information about Metro easier, faster and more convenient for customers. With just a few mouse clicks, customers can find anything from Metrorail and Metrobus fares, maps and schedules to service alerts, SmarTrip information and trip planning services. They can also get the latest Metro news from the home page. " The Web site is a valuable resource for our customers and we redesigned it to make it easier and quicker for customers to find what they" re looking for," said Leona Agouridis, Metro’s assistant general manager for communications. " Web site usage has grown rapidly over the past few years and we know that customers increasingly turn to the Web site for information about Metro, especially in times of severe weather, special events and service disruptions," said Syd Garriss, Metro’s Web manager. In just two years, Web site usage has more than doubled. Last month, the site recorded more than 4.5 million page views, compared with 3.5 million page views in September 2003 and 2.2 million in September 2002. The Web site changes incorporate Volpe guidelines, which emphasize efficiency, clarity, consistency and organization. The Volpe Center provides transportation and logistics expertise to the U.S. Department of Transportation, other federal agencies and state, local, and international entities. In addition, Metro has changed the name of The RideGuide to the Metro Trip Planner and has modified the service to improve efficiency. The Trip Planner offers the same function as The RideGuide, which was launched in 1999. The Trip Planner, renamed to more succinctly describe its function, plots a customer’s travel itinerary using the starting point and destination. The service creates an average of 150,000 itineraries a week. Since first launching the Web site in 1996, Metro has continually made improvements to meet customer needs, including increasing the site’s band width to speed the viewing and downloading of large files such as bus maps in August 2003 and offering computerized translation services of Web pages into six languages beginning in December 2003.

News release issued on November 1, 2004.