Google Rolls Out Real-Time Transit Info for Google Maps

What if you had an app that could tell you where or how far your bus or train is? Think about the possibilities. You could leave your home late and still reach the transport terminal at the right time. You can not only avoid traffic, if you reach early, you will know exactly how long you will have to wait for the transport to arrive. You will be happy to learn that Google has announced this feature on Google Maps.

The problem is it is only available for a few locations. So people elsewhere will have to wait. Currently, the feature is available in the UK and Netherlands and the four cities of Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and Budapest. Google has tied up with more than 125 partners to offer the service.

This addition to the app will give you live updates on buses, subway systems and metros. It can even tell you about canceled routes. It will be interesting to see how software development companies make use of this new feature. Many cab aggregators already use Google Maps to provide real time services.

Google has been providing transit information since 2007. It has tied up with more than 6000 transit authorities worldwide to provide schedules for 2.5 million (and counting) bus stops, train stations and boat terminals over the world. So the additional functionality on Google Maps is certainly exciting