Riding the bus just got a little bit easier from your smartphone. Popular transit app Google Maps now displays real-time bus tracking information from the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) so that you’ll know if your bus is running late, running early, or running right on time.
COTA first rolled out real-time tracking info back in May, but required the use of Transit App to view bus locations in real time. Now that the service is available within Google Maps, it should be much easier to access to a wider swath of riders.
“Transit on Google Maps integrates transit stop, route, schedule and fare information to make trip planning quick and easy for users,” stated COTA Public & Media Relations Manager Lisa Myers via email yesterday afternoon. “Customers may access Live Transit Updates on a desktop computer through Google Maps, or through the Google Maps app available for download in the iOS App Store and Android Google Play store.”
COTA also has plans to add WiFi to all buses before the end of 2017.
For more information, visit www.COTA.com/realtime.
EXTRA: Thinking about going car-free or car-lite in Columbus in 2017? Tune into this recent episode of the Confluence Cast to find out how others manage to bus, bike and walk all over the city:
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