Transit Route Planner Documentation

Complete guide to installing, configuring, and using Transit Route Planner on your WordPress site. Use the links below to jump to a specific section.

• Getting Started
• Google Maps API Key Setup
• Plugin Configuration
• Using the Shortcode
• Service Area Configuration
• Pro License Activation
• Troubleshooting
• Support & Contact

Getting Started

Transit Route Planner requires WordPress 6.0 or higher and PHP 8.0+. You will also need a Google Maps API key with billing enabled (Google provides a $200 monthly free credit that covers most sites).

Installation

1. Upload the plugin: Download the ZIP file from vandromeda.com/transit-route-planner or install via the WordPress.org plugin directory. Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin and select the ZIP file.
2. Activate: Go to Plugins in your WordPress admin and click Activate on Transit Route Planner.
3. Enter your API key: Navigate to Settings > Transit Route Planner and enter your Google Maps API key (see next section for setup instructions).
4. Add the shortcode: Edit any page or post and add
   Settings
   where you want the route planner to appear.
5. Visit the page: Your visitors can now plan transit, driving, walking, and cycling routes directly on your site.

Note: The plugin only loads its JavaScript and CSS on pages that contain the shortcode, so the rest of your site remains unaffected.

Google Maps API Key Setup

Transit Route Planner requires a Google Maps API key to power its mapping, autocomplete, and routing features. Follow these steps to create and configure your key.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Go to the Google Cloud Console.
2. Click Create Project (or select an existing project). Name it something descriptive like “Transit Route Planner”.
3. Navigate to APIs & Services > Library.
4. Search for and enable each of these four APIs:
   • Maps JavaScript API — renders the interactive map
   • Places API (New) — powers location autocomplete
   • Directions API — calculates routes between locations
   • Geocoding API — converts addresses to coordinates
5. Navigate to APIs & Services > Credentials.
6. Click Create Credentials > API Key.
7. Restrict your API key (recommended for security):
   • Application restriction: HTTP referrers (web sites)
   • Add your domain: yourdomain.com/*
   • API restriction: Restrict to the four APIs listed above
8. Copy the API key and paste it into Settings > Transit Route Planner in your WordPress admin.

About Google Maps Billing

Google requires a billing account but provides a $200 monthly free credit. This covers approximately 28,500 route calculations per month — more than enough for most transit agency websites. Small to medium traffic sites typically pay nothing beyond the free credit.

API Key Security

Transit Route Planner uses server-side API proxies to protect your API key. All Google Maps API requests are routed through your WordPress server — the API key is never exposed to visitors’ browsers. This prevents unauthorized usage and protects you from unexpected billing. No additional configuration is needed; this security is built in.

Plugin Configuration

After entering your API key, you can configure additional settings under Settings > Transit Route Planner.

API Key Management

The API key is protected by a password system to prevent unauthorized changes. When you first enter your API key, you will be prompted to set an admin password. After that, the key is locked and requires the password to view or modify. This protects your key even if multiple administrators have access to your WordPress dashboard.

Display Settings

You can toggle the coverage area visualization on or off. When enabled, visitors see a green rectangle on the map showing your service area boundaries. This helps riders understand the geographic area your transit system covers. The map also includes a dark mode toggle that visitors can use to switch between light and dark map themes.

Using the Shortcode

Add the route planner to any page or post using the shortcode:

    

        
            Settings
        
    
    

        

    
    

        

            
        
    

For a full-width mobile-optimized layout (removes the default max-width constraint), use:

    

        
            Settings
        
    
    

        

    
    

        

            
        
    

The shortcode creates the route planner interface with location inputs, travel mode selector (Transit, Driving, Walking, Cycling), an interactive Google Map, and step-by-step route directions. JavaScript and CSS assets load only on pages with the shortcode, so your site’s overall performance is unaffected.

Service Area Configuration

Configuring a service area restricts autocomplete suggestions to your transit district, ensuring riders only see locations within your coverage zone. This is the most important configuration step for transit agencies.

Setting Your Coverage Area

Your service area is defined as a rectangle with four corner coordinates (Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast). There are three ways to set it:

1. Interactive Map Editor: In the admin settings, drag and resize the rectangle directly on the map. This is the easiest method for most agencies.
2. AI Coordinate Lookup: Type a natural language description of your service area, such as “Lewis County, Washington” or “Seattle metro area.” The plugin uses AI to look up the geographic boundaries and auto-populate the coordinates.
3. Manual Entry: Enter exact latitude and longitude values for each corner. Useful if you have precise boundary coordinates from your agency’s GIS data.

You can also set a country restriction code (e.g., us for United States) to further filter autocomplete results to a specific country.

Pro License Activation

The free version of Transit Route Planner includes full routing functionality with a limit of 10 route calculations per day. Upgrading to Pro removes this limit and unlocks additional features.

Pro Tiers

Tier	Price	Domains	Features
Pro (1 Site)	$49/year	1 website	Unlimited routes, remove branding, priority support
Pro (5 Sites)	$149/year	5 websites	Everything in Pro + multisite support
Agency	$299/year	Unlimited	Everything in Pro + white-label, client projects

Activating Your License

1. Purchase a Pro license at vandromeda.com/transit-route-planner.
2. You will receive a license key via email in the format XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.
3. In your WordPress admin, go to Transit Route Planner > License.
4. Enter your license key and click Activate License.
5. The license is now bound to your domain. Pro features are immediately available.

Managing Your License

Moving to a new domain: Deactivate your license on the current site first, then activate it on the new site. License expiration: The plugin continues to work after expiration, but you will no longer receive updates or support. Renew at any time to restore access. Daily validation: The plugin checks your license status once per day. It continues working normally even during brief API outages.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely Cause	Solution
Map not loading	Missing or invalid API key	Check Settings > Transit Route Planner. Verify the key is valid in Google Cloud Console.
“API key missing” error	Key not saved or locked	Unlock the key with your admin password and re-enter it.
Autocomplete not showing results	APIs not enabled	Ensure Places API (New) is enabled in your Google Cloud project.
Autocomplete shows wrong area	Service area not configured	Set your coverage area in the plugin settings (see Service Area section above).
Route calculations limited to 10/day	Free tier limit	Upgrade to Pro for unlimited calculations.
License activation fails	Domain mismatch or expired key	Verify the domain matches your site URL. Check that the license has not expired.
Plugin JavaScript not loading	Caching plugin conflict	Clear your site cache. The plugin uses data-no-optimize to avoid script optimization conflicts.
Map broken after cache clear	LiteSpeed or other cache optimizing scripts	Add an exception for Transit Route Planner scripts in your caching plugin settings.

If your issue is not listed above, check the browser developer console (F12) for error messages. Common API errors include 403 Forbidden (API key restriction issue) and REQUEST_DENIED (API not enabled in Cloud Console).

Support & Contact

Need help? Reach out through any of these channels:

• Email: info@vandromeda.com
• Phone: 1-360-359-8859
• Product Page: vandromeda.com/transit-route-planner

Pro license holders receive priority support with faster response times. Agency tier customers also have access to phone support.

FTA Section 5311 Grant Eligible: Transit Route Planner qualifies as an eligible technology expense under FTA Section 5311 formula grants. Rural transit agencies can use federal funds to cover the annual subscription cost. Contact us for documentation to support your grant application.