In message , Paul Corfield
writes

Others have made the suggestion of mangling the options to the point
where it is telling you what you already know.

I don't think that's entirely fair, at least without knowing precisely
how Helen primed the search engine.

For instance, to arrive at the Albert Hall by 19:00 on a Saturday, the
Journey Planner suggests that the quickest route is the one via Green
Park that she rejected:

Leave at 17.21 and arrive at 18.49, with a journey time of 1'28".

Helen's preferred route, using only buses is actually longer - leave at
17.09 and arrive at 18.44, with a journey time of 1'35"

I do find it very odd that to get the wretched thing to do something
even half sensible you actually have to have a pre-existing knowledge of
the transport network that the average person would not have at all.

I don't necessarily think so. Helen knew the route she wanted, but it is
actually a little longer.

Why send people round the houses by tube for a trip that can work well
using two buses?

Because it is potentially quicker using the tube.

Where human knowledge comes in is the experience that two changes risks
more delay than one - but then experience might also suggest that a
delay on the tube is generally less likely and less damaging than a bus
that gets stuck in traffic.

The Journey Planner is far from perfect but, like most search engines,
what you put in determines what comes out. If you want minimum changes
rather than the quickest way, say so - and it will come up with the
two-bus route.

--
Paul Terry