Be Excellent To Each Other

Google today launched a new service adding public transport directions to Google maps, using Transport for London’s data.

The search giant has developed its own algorithm for plotting your journey across the capital, using its vast servers to calculate every possible route across the capital in a bid to find the fastest way to commute.

“We’ve worked hard over the past few years on this, and we’ve worked with TfL to get their bus and tube timetable information. We’ve done a lot of processing on it so we can know at any time when your next bus or tube is, wherever you are,” said Ed Parsons, Google UK’s geospatial technologist.

The feature, which launches today, uses Google’s existing maps software.

However, users are now shown a bus icon which, when clicked, shows them a list of different options using public transport. “We’ll give you not only exactly what bus you need, and when it’s due to arrive, but also walking directions at either end," said Parsons.

If used on a mobile phone running Google’s Android software, the software can even give you alerts when you reach your stop on the bus. “Because the phone knows where it is, if you’re on the bus listening to music on your phone, we can even interrupt the music to tell you when you need to get off,” said Mr Parsons.

How location-aware would it be underground?

Not at all. That might be why they don't mention that in the article