California Department of Transportation
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the California Smart-Traveler?

Smart-Traveler is a companion to Caltrans own traveler information. The ‘Smart-Traveler’ website provides links to traveler information available from other governments and agencies including bus transit, trains, bikes, local roads, and ridesharing. Caltrans is not responsible for the 90,000 miles of local roads, and does not operate buses, airports, nor ridesharing and other transportation services. Although Caltrans owns three trains – the San Joaquins, the Capitols, and the Pacific Surfliners, they are operated by AMTRAK. Caltrans does not own the San Diego Coaster, Southern California Metrolink, S.F. Peninsula CalTrain, Altamont Commuter Express ACE, or light rail train services. Caltrans does own and operate the 15,000-mile State Highway System. For Caltrans information, go to Caltrans homepage.

Click here to read a brochure on the Ultimate Smart-Traveler and for more about Caltrans historic efforts to understand Transportation Demand and at developing Transportation Demand Management strategies from the virtual TDM Library

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Who is responsible for the information linked by the California Smart-Traveler? Who do I contact if I find something is not accurate?

Smart-Traveler is only a link to finding the bus, train, and other information from other agencies. Caltrans has little control over these other agencies’ services. Please contact them if you find incorrect information on their web sites, or have poor service quality from them. However we do welcome comments and suggestions about the California Smart-Traveler, and will follow up on suggestions for adding additional publicly-funded (no private for-profit companies, please) transportation services you’d like the California Smart-Traveler to include.

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The Smart-Traveler doesn't tell me which bus goes from downtown to the AutoMall!!!

Even with Smart-Traveler, as with life itself, you can’t always get there from here. Some places just are not served by transit. Or trips cross transit agency boundaries where the operators haven’t coordinated their routes and schedules. Or you may need to bicycle a mile or two and the transit provider may not inform you whether you can carry your bike on their bus or train.

Caltrans is actively supporting transit and train agencies in developing ‘multi-agency travel trip planners’ to solve these problems, and provide customized Origin-to-Destination trip planning. Some leading local agencies developing state-of-the-art in California are the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“Metro”) and San Francisco Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission (“MTC”).

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Can't the Private Sector do traveler information better than Caltrans Smart-Traveler?

Caltrans provides traveler information via telephone and internet as a basic public service. Our goal is to improve mobility across California, which means we want to help consumers find transit, train, bike and other information so they can choose the best travel experience for their values and needs. (new link to 2004Travel Information Business Plan) Caltrans Traveler Information Business Plan focuses on providing the private sector with data, forming public-private partnerships for better traffic and travel data, and providing base level public traveler information via internet and telephone services.

The California Smart-Traveler brochure includes a schematic for how many kinds of traveler information needs to be available over various kinds of technologies. Caltrans is constantly seeking partnerships with other public agencies and private firms to fulfill this vision.

Caltrans provides real-time data feeds to commercial/media information services, such as traffic reporting companies, to help us inform travelers of highway and traffic conditions that may affect their trips. Private firms are experts in broadcasting and can repackage travel information for higher quality, more personalized services than can be provided at government expense.

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I see lots of companies publishing maps with Caltrans speed data. How can I get it for my company?

Contact us through the ‘comments/suggestions’ button on the California Smart-Traveler and we’ll work to provide your company with the same data sets. Caltrans data sets include urban freeway speeds, changeable message sign messages, closed circuit television images, lane closures, and highway weather conditions. The information is provided without charge, but we cannot provide any warranty for accuracy or delivery reliability. Delivery may be stopped at any time due to traffic management needs, concerns for individual privacy, homeland security, or information systems technology disruptions.

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The Smart-Traveler URL is 'Caltrans511.' What does Smart-Traveler have to do with 5-1-1?

The three-digit telephone number, 511 – pronounced five-one-one – is the nationwide standard telephone number for traveler information (www.deploy511.org). Typically 511 includes real-time traffic, incidents and delays, road construction and weather-related closures for highways and major local roads. In urban areas 511 has bus-transit and train schedules with on-time status and information on other travel choices. The California Smart-Traveler is a statewide web version of 511, linking to traveler information in much the same way as 511 does over the telephone.

In California dialing 511 works in the San Francisco Bay Area (www.511.org) and Sacramento/Northern California (www.sacregion511.org). San Diego 511 is expected to be working by July 2005. Other Western States already using the 511 telephone number include Oregon (www.tripcheck.com/RoadCond/roadcondindex.htm), Washington (wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/), Nevada/Reno, Utah (www.commuterlink.utah.gov/nav.htm), Arizona (www.AZ511.com) and New Mexico. Nevada/Las Vegas is under development. We have no estimated dates for 511 in Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley, or the Central Coast. In Southern California, use 800-COMMUTE (800- 266-6883) or the California Smart-Traveler web pages instead.

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I've heard of 800-COMMUTE and 800-427-ROAD for Caltrans Road Conditions. What happens to them after 5-1-1?

800-COMMUTE is California’s predecessor to 511. It provided simple links to transit, highway, train, and rideshare agencies, but does not have the modern technologies or real-time information content of 511. 511 has already replaced 800-COMMUTE in the Bay Area and Northern California. Soon San Diego 511 will also 800-COMMUTE in that region. After 2005 800-COMMUTE is only expected to be working in the greater Los Angeles region.

800-427-ROAD (7623) is Caltrans traditional highway maintenance conditions telephone number, used by generations of Californians wanting to check for snow conditions and flooding closures. 511 will have the same information, as well as traffic conditions, estimated driving times, and more. It will likely be phased out when all of the major regions of the state have their own 511 systems and callers switch to the newer, better, faster three-digit 511 calling.

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What does California Smart-Traveler have to do with Transportation Demand Management?

Transportation Demand Management helps to solve California’s mobility needs by better managing peak demand on our aging freeway and other travel systems. By helping travelers make their best travel choices in travel mode, time, and route, each traveler has the best travel experience possible. For background on Caltrans Transportation Demand Management program, see the bibliography here: TDM Library

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