511 Phone Help

How do I access SD 511?

Information is available through SD 511 by dialing 511 from nearly all landline and cellular phones in the coverage area, or by dialing 1-855-GO-SD-511 (1-855-467-3511) from any phone.

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 Driving TImes, you will hear it listed as the second item. By pressing "2" immediately you will gain access to Driving TImes. The only time this will not work is when we have long lists, such as with a list of cities in Traffic Conditions. These lists begin at 10 as opposed to one. Therefore, to access traffic conditions for Alpine (the first item in the long list) in Cites for Traffic Conditions, press "10".

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.."

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 Driving Times and Traffic Conditions say, "next incident" if you want to skip an incident during incident playback.

"Next Route": In Driving Times 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."

From the main menu you may also interrupt the voice at any time with a command to go directly to that section.

Are these phone tips available for download?

SANDAG has created a Tip Sheet to familiarize you with some of the features of the 511 system. This is an Adobe PDF that requires the Adobe Reader.

Driving Times

In Driving Times 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 QUALCOMM Stadium or the San Diego Airport.

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. 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, Driving Times are not available on all San Diego freeways. Stay tuned as SANDAG, in a partnership with Caltrans, work towards expanding the Driving Times coverage on all major freeways throughout the County.

Where are driving times available?

Currently, Driving Times are available here:

Traffic Conditions

What are the specific highways, cities, and points of interest that I can say to get traffic condition information?

This is the list of the highways, cities, and points of interest 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-5 South."

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, "I 5" say, "I 5 south". This lets you hear only these incidents that affect traffic heading south on Interstate 5. You can also request Traffic Condition information for a particular city.

The second way to get more narrowly tailored information is to use Driving Times. Regardless of whether your trip is within our Driving Times coverage area, 511 always provides you with traffic condition information, customized for your specific trip.

Why didn't 511 tell me about the incident that slowed my trip?

In areas where we have speed information, 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. We are working with Caltrans on expanding our roadway sensor network.

Public Transportation

What if I don't know which paratransit agency I need?

From the Public Transportation menu (accessed by saying, "Public Transportation" from the Main Menu or the Public Transportation menu) ask for Paratransit and then 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 paratransit 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 Pages at www.511sd.com to find schedules, maps, and other information including our Transit Trip Planner, which allows you to plan your transit trip between two 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 "Public Transportation" and select the appropriate agency or service. Once you select the agency you want, you can choose to be transferred to that agency from the list of options. For example, saying "Trolleys" at the Public Transportation menu, and then "Operator" will result in a transfer to an MTS operator who can assist you with Trolley 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, in part, an automated system and does automatically transfer you to an operator.