Google Maps could indicate if your next train or subway is full
Google Maps is increasingly drinking from Waze, the well-known GPS application for drivers that the giant Google ended up acquiring. It draws from its philosophy of sharing data among users to be more useful and realistically report any details of the journeys. The latest proposal from Google Maps consists of asking users if the train they have boarded is full or not Information that will later be shared with other users to inform of possible alternative routes.Of course, for the moment the function is under development.
Until now, Google uses algorithms that help to understand if a place is being visited by many or few people at certain times of the day. But this technology is not so useful to anticipate high peaks of passengers in public transport. So, without thinking twice, Google Maps has started asking travelers about the crowded transport. Although it has actually started to do it on Android now, while on iPhone the questions were popping up for a few months.
According to Android Police, users from Tokyo, Paris, New York or Sweden have shared their questions on public transport . So it seems that Google is carrying out its tests internationally already.Which could give us a clue as to how close it is to launching a new function with which to inform the user of the density of passengers on certain public transport.
The question arrives as a notification on Google Maps. Users are alerted with a notice that, when pressed, takes them to the maps application to show them a card. In it, they are asked how crowded the car they are traveling in is, and they are offered several answers: there are plenty of free seats, few free seats, standing room only, crowded even standing room or unknown
Hopefully this information will help the next traveler to know how busy the means of transport they are going to use are. Or if you want to use an alternate route to avoid it.
Google had already warned last year that it would collaborate with public transport companies in different cities to try to indicate this type of issue before taking the bus, train or subway. However, it seems more feasible to rely on the collective support of the users themselves to find this information and share it with other travelers. However, at the moment it is unknown when and where this information will be displayed. And it is that notifications with questions for travelers are still limited.
