Google has introduced a transit navigation feature in its latest release of Google Maps for Android mobile devices. Still in beta, Transit Navigation enables transit riders to track their progress stop-by-stop along a route in more than 400 cities worldwide. (Engadget reports on its field test in New York City here.) When riders enter their destination, the app will let them know when it’s time to get off or to make a transfer, and it will work in the background while passengers surf the web or take a call. Because the app uses GPS, a how-to video reminds riders that the navigation feature works best on surface transportation modes. Link to full story in the Google Blog.
This sounds like a great feature when traveling to an unfamiliar city or part of town. I hope it will encourage more people to use transit, especially the bus, since people are often less familiar with the stops because they are more numerous.
Absolutely – that’s one of the advantages that Google mentions: it’s a great feature for tourists and visitors who might be traveling in a city where they don’t know the local geography or speak the language.
The cool part is that the phone will send you an alert when your stop is coming up. I’m looking forward to field testing it soon.