MapQuest Adds Public Transit Directions, Years Behind Rivals
MapQuest has rolled out public transit directions on iOS and Android, covering nearly 2,000 cities in 70 countries, as the 30-year-old service tries to keep the users it gained after refusing to rename Lake Ontario.
The feature covers almost 2,000 cities in 70 countries at launch. It plans door-to-door trips that combine buses, trains, trams and walking, and supplies real-time departure and delay information for more than 350 cities. Route options include details on station entrances and access points, and users can choose among several itineraries.
MapQuest tied the timing to a wave of users who returned to the app. According to Engadget, the service climbed the App Store and Google Play charts after it declined to follow Google Maps and Apple Maps in renaming Lake Ontario in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump. MapQuest said millions of people "rediscovered the brand overnight." The company said many of those returning and new users, especially in large cities, wanted to make MapQuest their main navigation app but needed transit directions before they would.
Further updates are in development, MapQuest said, including broader coverage and live navigation that guides users to their destinations. The company's developers have also been working on Android Auto support.
The transit rollout arrives long after the category became standard on competing platforms. MapQuest described the demand from urban users as the immediate reason for building it now.