Chennai: Google Maps is including a new feature to enable users to check how crowded a train station might be at a particular time, or if buses on a certain route are running on a limited schedule.
This unique feature would be available in India along with other countries to alert users about Covid-19-related travel restrictions to help them plan their trips better.
Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., announced that the update would be rolled out in Argentina, France, Netherlands, the United States and United Kingdom among other countries.
The new features would also include details on Covid-19 checkpoints and restrictions on crossing national borders, starting with Canada, Mexico and the United States.
In recent months, the company has analysed location data from billions of Google users’ phones in 131 countries to examine mobility under lockdowns and help health authorities assess if people were abiding with social-distancing and other orders issued to rein in the virus, according to Reuters.
Google has invested billions of dollars from its search ads business to digitally map the world, drawing 1 billion users on average every month to its free navigation app.