04 June 2019, India:
Google has added three new features in Google Maps to make public transport journeys more efficient.
The company has added Bus travel times from live traffic in 10 of the largest cities in India, live train status for Indian Railways trains, and mixed-mode commute suggestions that now combine auto-rickshaw and public transport.
There was option to view bus schedules in some cities. With the new feature addition, Google Maps can now tell users about bus travel times based on live traffic.
This feature uses the power of Google’s live traffic data and public bus schedules to calculate delays and provide accurate travel times.
This feature is launching in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow, Chennai, Mysore, Coimbatore, and Surat.
You can use this feature by entering your starting location and destination, then taping on the transit tab. The results for bus travel times from live traffic will include the time in green (when running on time) or red (when delayed).
Google Maps will also show the real-time status of trains. For using this feature, search for your starting location and destination, or your starting station and destination to see a list of trains that you can take between the routes.
From there, you can easily see the real-time status, and whether any of them are delayed, right inside Google Maps.
Google has developed this feature in partnership with the Where is My Train app, which was acquired by Google last year.
The company has also added directions support in Maps for journeys that combine auto-rickshaw and public transport. The public transport tab on Google Maps for Android will now tell you the rickshaw meter estimate, and departure times for your transit connection. This feature will be available for Delhi and Bangalore initially and will soon be extended to more cities.
(Source – Google)
