New York — Ever been waiting for a bus that seems to take ages to arrive? Now, in an effort to make commuters even more punctual, Google today unveiled a new feature for desktop and mobile versions of Google Maps, enabling them to provide live data on public transportation, so you can find out “when your ride is actually going to arrive.” Thanks a lot Google, now there is really no excuse to be late for work!
As a remedy for that transit-vexed feeling, Google is now integrating live transit updates into Maps for mobile and desktop since they have forged alliance with transit agencies in four US cities and two European cities. This means you will know when a bus is going to arrive (even if it is late), letting you plan potential changes to the route.
However, before you get all excited, the latest feature debuted on Wednesday, is only available in four U.S. cities (Boston, Portland, San Diego and San Francisco) and oddly two European cities (Madrid, Spain and Turin, Italy). But Google said it is working on expanding this functionality to more locations over time.
“Often when I’m taking public transit, I arrive at my stop on time only to anxiously check my watch and look down the street for my bus, which is running late once again. Those extra minutes I’m forced to wait seem like an eternity, and the only information I can access on my phone is when the bus was supposed to arrive,” Sasha Gontmakher, a software engineer, wrote in a blog post. “Starting now, Google Maps for mobile and desktop can tell you when your ride is actually going to arrive with new live transit updates.”
Moreover, Google has partnered with public transit firms to help them provide live data to more people in more cities. All you need to do to get live transit updates is the latest version of Google Maps for mobile (Android 1.6+) as well as Google Maps on all supported desktop and mobile browsers.
So now you can use Google Maps to manage your public transit commute in much the same way you might check for traffic conditions. Residents of those cities, when click on a transit station or plan a route with Google Maps and there are current delays or alerts linked to your journey, you will now see “live departure times” which are indicated by a special icon as well as service alerts.
To use the new transit information features on your PC, point your browser to Google Maps. In the upper-right corner of the screen, users can simply select Transit from the layers box by putting a checkmark next to it and see delays and alerts related to a trip with live departure times that are indicated with special icons.
To experience the feature you need to plan your transit route. Once the Transit layer activated, you will see rail lines highlighted in yellow on your maps, all together with logos for the transit system the line is a part of. Bus lines will be highlighted in blue, with little blue bus icons at all the stops. Click on a transit station, and a dialog bubble will open with information about the lines served by that station.
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Click on any of the line to acquire detailed schedule information. In the next screen, the main area of the window illustrates the near-future schedule for all lines. In the lower-right corner, Google Maps shows you which trains will be arriving next, in chronological order.
Check out a video demonstration the live transit feature below.
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