Right. But that seems so basic, like saying without staff or a way to buy a ticket it wont be useful either.

The article is saying the product is the timetable. It is cool these days to say freakanomic sounding things like this. "The user is the product" etc.

But from my point of view I want to get A to B, plus other requirements (do I want to drink, how safe, how long, cost, if I miss it can I still go, luggage, pets, do I need to move the contents of my house etc.)