Here’s how the new feature will work.
When you search for a navigation route to a certain destination, Google Maps looks for the route and shows it in a preview screen along with the ETA and traffic data information. The second route will be displayed on the same preview screen if an eco-friendly alternative is available.
Once this update goes live, Google Maps will start suggesting other travel modes to the destination only if the travel times are “comparable and practical.” This means you won’t see an alternative travel mode if it adds significant time to your ETA.
However, if you can reach the same destination faster or only by adding a few more minutes to the journey, Google Maps will suggest walking or public transportation. It’s a choice we should all make if we care about the environment, and thanks to Google’s suggestions, it’ll now be clearer that walking or using public transportation won’t add much time to the trip.
I won’t be surprised if some drivers don’t like this feature. Authorities worldwide have been struggling to convince drivers to leave their cars at home at least once every week and use other means of transportation, such as bikes and public transit, but we still see thousands of vehicles with only the driver inside.
Google did not explain whether Google Maps would allow users to disable this feature. The rollout will start in the coming weeks, and the feature will likely be enabled by default, meaning that users will see the public transit or walking suggestions next to driving routes without changing the default Google Maps configuration.
The feature won’t be widely available at launch, as Google will enable it gradually for locations across worldwide. Google claims 15 cities will receive it, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Montreal, Paris, Rome, and Sydney, so it’ll take a while until everybody receives support for alternative travel modes.
It will land on iPhone and Android. Google didn’t share more specifics, but the feature is unlikely to make its way to Android Auto and CarPlay, considering it’s supposed to suggest alternative travel modes to Google Maps users – whereas, on Android Auto and CarPlay, driving is the only transportation mode.
