511 Phone Help | | Disclaimer

The following frequently asked questions (FAQ) are designed to assist you in better understanding: 1) how the 511 phone system works; 2) the information it provides; and 3) the most efficient ways to access the information. The questions are organized by topic with links to the corresponding answers. Just click on the question you want answered and you will be directed to its response. If your question is not listed here or adequately addressed, please let us know by using our suggestion form.

GENERAL SYSTEM QUESTIONS What do I do when the system cannot recognize what I am saying? What are the tricks for navigating the system faster? What are the shortcuts at the Main Menu? How do I get help? How do I give my feedback on the 511 service? How do I use the system if I am hearing-impaired? How do I use the system if I am speech-impaired? What if the system is busy when I call? Why do I not reach the 511 System when I dial 511? 511 DRIVING TIMESSM In the 511 Driving TimesSM feature, what can I say as my origin or destination? For which cities can I better refine my starting or ending point? What are their “refine points”? Why didn’t I receive a travel time for my route? Where are driving times available?		TRAFFIC CONDITIONS For which highways, bridges, cities and hot spots can I obtain traffic condition information? Is there a way to receive traffic incident information on a smaller scale, so that I don’t have to listen to all the incidents on a roadway when I am only traveling on it for a short distance? Why didn’t 511 tell me about the incident that slowed my trip? PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Which public transportation agencies are included in 511? Which paratransit agencies are included in 511? What if I don’t know which transit or paratransit agency I need? Why was I transferred to the wrong public transportation agency? How do I prevent from being transferred to a public transportation agency? What do I do when I need public transportation information after hours? All I want to do is talk to a live operator. What do I do?

GENERAL SYSTEM QUESTIONS

What do I do when the system cannot recognize what I am saying?
511 uses a state-of-the-art voice-recognition system to guide you through the menu options. Sometimes the system might have a difficult time recognizing your request due to one of the following reasons: 1) you are saying something that the system is not programmed to recognize at that particular menu. For example, if you say, “Traffic Conditions” in the Public Transportation menu, the system will not recognize your request. You need to go back to the Main Menu and say, “Traffic Conditions” there. 2) While we have made every attempt to ensure that 511 is usable by as many people as possible, the system might be having difficulty understanding your voice. 3) There could be background noise that prevents the system from recognizing your request.

SOLUTIONS: Please speak as clearly as possible and try to minimize any background noise. If this is still unsuccessful, 511 also offers a touch-tone system that you can use. Just press “0” at each menu, and the system will list the options with a corresponding number to press. Remember, you need to press zero at every new menu to hear the touch-tone codes. Once you’ve learned the touch-tones, however, there is no need to press zero to hear the list of choices; just enter your selection. The number to enter will correspond to the order that the menu options are presented. For example, if you are in the Traffic menu and want to use 511 Driving Times^SM, you will hear it listed as the second item. By pressing 2 immediately you will gain access to 511 Driving Times^SM. The only time this will not work is when we have long lists, such as with transit and paratransit agencies or a list of cities in Traffic Conditions. These lists begin at 10 as opposed to one. Therefore, to access AC Transit (the first item in the long list) in Public Transportation Agencies, press 10. For a list of touch-tone codes for transit agencies, click here. For a para-transit agency list, click here.

What are the tricks for navigating the system faster and more efficiently?
The number one way to move through the system faster is to interrupt the system. Once you know what questions will be asked, you can answer them as soon as the system starts asking them. You DO NOT need to wait for the system to finish the question before answering. For example, you can say the name of your starting point once you are in the Driving Times function. You do not need to wait for the system to say, “First let’s get the starting point….”

Another trick to better navigate the system is to use shortcuts. Shortcuts are requests, made at the Main Menu, that bypass the menu structure and take you directly to the feature you requested. See the next question, “What are the shortcuts at the Main Menu?” for the specific shortcuts.

Other tricks for faster and more efficient navigation are using the following commands:

“Main Menu”: This command is recognizable anywhere in the system and will take you directly back to the Main Menu. It is needed if you want to check Traffic Conditions but are in the Public Transportation menu.

“Repeat”: If for some reason you forget or are unable to hear part of the listed prompts, you can always say, “Repeat.”

”Next Incident”: In 511 Driving Times^SM and Traffic Conditions say, “next incident” if you want to skip an incident during incident playback.

“Next Route”: In 511 Driving Times^SM if two routes are played, you can skip to the second one by saying, “Next Route”.

“Go Back”: To return to a previous menu, say, “Go back.”

What are the shortcuts at the Main Menu?
Say any of the following shortcuts and go directly to that area of the 511 system:

How do I get help?
If you need help, just say, “Help” or “What are my choices?” at any time to hear your options for the current menu. To return to a previous menu, say, “Go back.” To start over, say “Main Menu.”

How do I use the system if I am hearing-impaired?
Hearing-impaired callers can dial 711 and access all of the 511 transportation information. 711 is the national three-digit number for access to Telecommunication Relay Services (TRS). Callers dial 711 and ask the operator to connect them to the 511 service. Once connected, the 711 operator acts as a go-between, relaying callers’ requests for travel information to the 511 system and then providing system responses back to the callers.

How do I use the system if I am speech-impaired?
Speech-impaired callers can use the touch-tone back-up system to access all of the 511 transportation information. To use touch-tone selections just press “0” at each menu. The system will list the menu options with a corresponding number. You simply press the number that matches your choice. Every time you reach a new menu or choice, you must press zero to hear the touch-tone options, but once you’ve learned the touch-tones, there is no need to press zero to hear the list of choices; just enter your selection. The number to enter will correspond to the order that the menu options are presented. For example, if you are listening to the Traffic menu and want to use 511 Driving Times^SM, you will hear it listed as the second item. Therefore, by pressing 2 you will gain access to 511 Driving Times^SM. The only time this will not work is where we have long lists such as with transit and paratransit agencies or a list of cities in Traffic Conditions. These lists begin at 10 as opposed to one. Consequently, to access AC Transit (the first item in the long list) in Public Transportation Agencies, press 10. For a list of touch-tone options, click here.

What if the system is busy when I call?
The system may be experiencing an unusually high volume of calls when you called, so the best advice is simply to call back. We are monitoring call volumes, and if we need to increase system capacity, we will do so.

Why do I not reach the 511 System when I dial 511?
There are two main reasons why you might not reach the 511 System when dialing it.
1) Your telephone company currently does not provide access to 511. MTC has diligently worked on providing 511 on all local phone services. We currently provide 511 access for approximately 95% to 97% of the Bay Area. The landline carriers include, but are not limited to SBC, Verizon, AT&T, and Focal Communications. The wireless providers are AT&T Wireless, Cingular, Metro PCS, Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. If you still can’t connect to 511 using one of these providers, contact them directly. In the meantime, you can dial 888-500-info toll free.
If you do not see your telephone provider listed above, please call or write your vendor and ask when they will be implementing 511. For a form letter that requests 511 access for your company, click here. Also, please contact MTC with the name of your vendor in order to help us to become aware of your situation and allow us to lend support, if possible.
2) You are calling from a centralized phone system such as a Private Business Exchange (PBX). PBXs are systems that allow for four-digit calling within your business. MTC wants to ensure that you and your colleagues will enjoy access to 511. Therefore, you may need to take a few simple steps to program your PBX to allow for 511 calling. If you need assistance with any programming questions, please call your PBX vendor.

We are a wireless phone service provider and would like to enable calls to 5-1-1 for our customers. How do we enable this connection?

To enable the 5-1-1 phone service connection for your customers, please contact our 511 service management staff member, Les Jacobson.You can reach him by email at: les.jacobson@telvent.abengoa.com

511 DRIVING TIMES^SM

In 511 Driving Times^SM feature, what can I say as my origin or destination?
You can say a city, bridge, or hot spot. A hot spot is a location that generates or has a lot of traffic such as the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza or the San Francisco Airport. Click here to get a listing of everything you can say as either an origin or destination.

What are the specific cities and refine points where I can better define my starting and/or ending point?
For some cities that have multiple freeways within their jurisdictions we have provided “refine points” so that you may better define your starting and ending point. This means instead of saying the city name you can say the refine point name directly and skip a step in the menu. For example, when the system asks for a starting point you may say, “880 at 98^th Street” instead of simply saying “Oakland.” Please note that until the system is fully built out some of the refine points are outside the 511 Driving Times^SM coverage area. For more information on where 511 Driving Times^SM are available, go to the 511 Driving Times^SM Coverage Map. The list of refine points is shown below.

Remember, you can always say, “Help” or ask, “What are my choices?” if you get confused. Say, “Repeat” to hear the list of choices again. As with the rest of the service, you may interrupt the system at any time if you already know your selection.

Why didn’t I receive a travel time for my route?
Currently, 511 Driving Times^SM is not available on all Bay Area freeways. However, by the end of 2005, it will be available on the major freeways in all nine counties. In the meantime, we are working to increase the coverage area for 511 Driving Times^SM. If you want to see the current coverage, please click here or go to the next question. If your route is currently unavailable, keep checking back. It will be available soon. For an overview of the Driving Times feature, click here.

Where are driving times available?
Currently, Driving Times are available here:

• I-80 between San Francisco (the 4th Street Interchange) and Suisun City (Highway 12);
• I-880 between Oakland (I-80) and Fremont (Dixon Landing Road); and,
• I-680 between Dublin/Pleasanton (I-580) and Pacheco (Highway 4).
• U.S. 101 from the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza to Santa Rosa
• U.S. 101 from San Francisco to Belmont
• I-280 in San Francisco
• I-580 from U.S. 101 in San Rafael to I-80 in Albany (including the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge)
• Highway 92 from U.S. 101 in San Mateo to I-880 in Hayward (including the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge)

Complete coverage of Bay Area freeways will be available in 2005. For more information go to the 511 Driving Times^SM Coverage Map at www.traffic.511.org.

TRAFFIC CONDITIONS

What are the specific highways, bridges, cities, and hot spots that I can say to get traffic condition information?
Please click here to get a list of all of the highways, bridges, cities, and hot spots that you can say when requesting Traffic Condition information. Please note if you want to refine your search to one direction on a highway you can say, for example, I-80-East or U.S. 101-North.

Is there a way to hear traffic conditions for smaller areas so that I don’t have to listen to all the incidents on a roadway when I am only traveling on it for a short distance?
There are two ways to refine your requests for Traffic Condition information. First, add your travel direction to your request. For example, instead of saying, “Interstate 80” say, “Interstate 80 West”. This lets you hear only these incidents that affect traffic heading west on Interstate 80. You can also request Traffic Condition information for a particular city.

The second way to get more narrowly tailored information is to use 511 Driving Times^SM. 511 Driving Times^SM, regardless of whether your trip is within its coverage area, always provides you with traffic condition information customized for your specific trip. Therefore, if your trip is from San Francisco to San Jose, you will only hear traffic incidents for the section of U.S. 101 between the two cities. You will not hear incident information on U.S. 101 north of San Francisco or south of San Jose.

Why didn’t 511 tell me about the incident that slowed my trip?
In areas where we have speed information (see 511 Driving Times^SM Coverage Map) we only play incidents where the traffic is moving less than 40 miles per hour. 511 receives the majority of its incident information from the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The links to the CHP system result in incidents playing almost as soon as they are reported. If an incident wasn’t on 511, it may be that you called before CHP had a chance to report it; maybe it was never reported on the CHP system; or traffic was not impacted and was not moving at less than 40 miles per hour. Also, it could be that there are more than five incidents on a single highway. 511 only plays the top 5 incidents in terms of severity. Maybe the incident that is affecting you is less severe than those incidents that are playing. Regardless, 511 is working with CHP to ensure that all incidents are reported to the system in a timely manner.

If you are wondering why slow down incidents (incidents that are only the result from too much traffic) do not play on all roadways, it is because the roadway sensors and cameras that provide speed and driving time information are not yet deployed on all freeways. However, as the 511 Driving Times^SM coverage expands onto new roadways, the roadways providing slow down incidents will also increase. Please see the 511 Driving Times^SM Coverage Map at www.traffic.511.org for more information.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Which public transportation agencies are included in 511?
511 includes more than 40 public transportation agencies including eight out-of-region agencies that have routes connecting to Bay Area cities. Please click here for a list of the agencies that you can request in the Public Transportation Agency menu.

Which paratransit agencies are included in 511?
511 includes 19 paratransit agencies. For a list of the agencies that you can say in the Paratransit Agency menu, click here.

What if I don’t know which transit or paratransit agency I need?
From the Transit Agencies menu (accessed by saying, “Transit Agencies” from the Main Menu or the Public Transportation menu) say, “I don’t know.” The system will respond with, “What city will you be traveling from?” Provide the city name, and 511 will give you a list of transit agencies that serve that city. Select the agency you want and the system will take you to that agency’s menu where you can choose from the available options. If you do not select an option, the system will automatically provide you with the most-used agency for the city you requested.

Why was I transferred to the wrong public transportation agency?
It’s possible that the 511 system may have misunderstood your selection. The best solution is to call 511 back. It’s a free call, and it will only take seconds to make your selection again. If you select an agency and hear the system read back a different agency name, then before you are transferred out of 511, say “Stop,” “Go Back,” or Press 1 to stop the transfer and make your choice again.

How do I prevent being transferred to an agency that I do not want?
When you request a transit agency, 511 will confirm your request by repeating the agency name it thought you said. Listen to the name, and if it does not match your request, say, “Stop” or “Go back”. The system will then provide you with another opportunity to say the transit agency you want.

What do I do when I need public transportation information after hours?
Since transit agencies have different operator hours, it’s best that you become familiar with the hours of your preferred agency so you know when to call. If you need transit information after hours, you can always go to the Transit Page at 511.org to find schedules, maps, and other information including our TakeTransit Trip Planner^SM, which allows you to plan your transit trip between two Bay Area localities. Note that the 511 system will tell you the transit agency’s hours of operation before transferring your call.

All I want to do is talk to a live operator. What do I do?
Just call 511 and ask for “Transit Agencies” and select the appropriate agency. Once you select the agency you want, you can choose to be transferred to that agency from the list of options. For example, saying “Schedules” at the AC Transit menu will result in a transfer to an AC Transit operator who can assist you with AC Transit schedules and trip planning. Please be advised that pressing “0” on the system will NOT connect you to an operator; it will instead connect you with our touch-tone system. The 511 service is an automated system and does not have an operator.