With more and more app-based bike-sharing services rolling into cities, riders find it confusing to search through multiple apps to find nearby stations and available bikes. People in New York City have been using Google Maps to locate bike-sharing stations and see exactly how many bikes are available at a station in real-time. This started last year and with a vast number of users getting added as the idea of Bikesharing is booming. Google began testing this extended version of the service in New York City last year but has now expanded it to cover 23 more cities in North America and Europe.
Google says this feature will also let users know if bikes are available or not. You can use the application to locate bike share stations and pinpoint how many bikes are available near you. You will also get to know if there is any space to dock your bike. Google gets its real-time data from Ito World, a company that it already works with to give real-time info on bus journeys in the UK.
Google Maps is making it easier for travelers and commuters with real-time information. This bike-sharing feature is now available in Google Maps on Android and iOS in the following cities globally with more on the way: Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Chicago, Dublin, Hamburg, Helsinki, Kaohsiung, London, Los Angeles, Lyon, Madrid, Mexico City, Montreal, New Taipei City, New York City, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco Bay Area, São Paulo, Toronto, Vienna, Warsaw and Zurich.
Google Maps software engineer Andrew Hyatt introduced the feature in a post saying that bike-sharing is booming as the two-wheeled technology transforms how people get from A to B in cities around the planet. He also explained how bike-sharing has gone mainstream with an estimated 1,600 bike-share systems and more than 18 million shared bikes in urban centers worldwide. He also said: “Just like how we show you when buses and trains are coming and going in Google Maps, you’ll now know which bike-share stations have a bike ready for you.”
Along with this, Google has also added 45,000 community and public toilets to Google Maps app by joining the central government’s campaign, “Loo review”. This allows people to rate and review public toilets.
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