If you’ve ever found yourself waiting for a bus or subway train, wondering why it hasn’t arrived at its exact scheduled time, I think I saw you dejectedly pacing around at the bus stop near my place this morning. Get with it, man! It’s the bus! And it was, like, 7:00 in the morning. That’s primetime, buddy.
Man, this guy. He was the stereotypical dude in his mid to late 20’s that you could tell had advanced in his career a little earlier than everyone else his age but still hadn’t quite been humbled by “work” yet—throwing his hands up in the air, shaking his head. “Where’s MY bus?! Nobody better be sitting in my seat,” I pictured him muttering under his breath.
Anyhoo, he could have taken out his phone and fired up Google Maps had he known that Google just flipped the switch on live mass transit alerts and delays here in the Boston area. The features are also now available in Portland (Oregon), San Diego and San Francisco. Our friends in Madrid, Spain and Turin, Italy have transit updates now as well.
The features work with Google Maps for desktop web browsers, compatible mobile web browsers, and the Google Maps Android app.
According to Google:
“When you click on a transit station or plan a transit route with Google Maps and there are delays or alerts related to your trip, you’ll now see ‘live departure times’ (indicated with a special icon) and service alerts.”
I looked for alerts around the Boston area this afternoon and managed to find one at South Station. It was from Amtrak. Oh no! What’s the matter?!
“Amtrak recommends arriving to the station at least 30 minutes before scheduled departure.”
No word on when additional locations will get live transit data, though Google simply states, “We’re working with our public transit partners to help them provide live data to more people in more cities.”
More on TIME.com:
Google’s Android Navigation App Routes You Around Traffic Jams
Google Maps Update Brings 3D Buildings, Offline GPS Features