Many people still aren’t commuting to work in light of the pandemic, but Google Maps might give you more travel options when it is safe to return. As 9to5Google reports, app sleuth Jane Manchun Wong has discovered that Google is exploring “connections to public transit” route options that would cover the “first mile” transportation for certain trips, such as bikes, cars, motorcycles ridesharing services and even auto rickshaws. You could drive to a park-and-ride stop, hop on the bus and get directions through the entire trip.
Wong also learned that Google hopes to offer more accurate ridesharing fares by sharing route data with third-party apps like Uber. You wouldn’t have to switch apps just to know if it makes sense to hail a car.
It’s not certain that Google will roll out these features, or that they’ll arrive without significant changes. However, it wouldn’t be shocking if Maps got these additions soon. Ridesharing firms are already combining multiple transportation modes inside their apps — it would only make sense if Google Maps followed suit.
