iPodsubwaymaps.com is sort of like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Many people who make use of subway systems have iPods. So why not have subway maps on your iPod? Tada! Website born!
iPodSubwayMaps.com has had some start up pains though. Both San Francisco and New York City have siced their lawyers on William Bright, the guy who started the website, sending cease and desist letters. NYC said he could use their maps so long as he obtains an annual license, $500
per year.
Maybe San Francisco and New York City should buy a clue from Washington D.C. They said Bright can use their maps for free. They should help Bright. Any way to increase usage of public transit systems should definitely be encouraged. And really, is San Francisco or NYC losing money by allowing people to download the maps for free?
In fact, I did a little bit of research about which subway has free maps online:
New York City MTA - Downloadable PDF
San Francisco BART - Downloadable PalmOS or PocketPC guide
Washington D.C. Metro - downloadable PDF
When I visited the nation's capitol about a year and a half ago, with my cousin Alsona and her husband Alan, we used the Metro to ride from Falls Church, VA into the city. I fell in love with the D.C. Metro line. Clean, easy to use and now I can have the map on my iPod without legal issues. Cool!
