SOME TRAVEL APPS AND WHAT THEY OFFER:
APPLE MAPS
- expanding transit service - it currently covers US cities of Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay area and Washington DC; also covers Berlin, London, Mexico City, Sydney and Toronto, plus 300 cities in China.
- gives precise directions to subway stations, entrances and exits
- Apple Maps requires iPhone, iPad or Mac and a dedicated app
GOOGLE MAPS
- covers public transit in hundreds of cities on every continent except Antarctica
- covers more devices
- Android app works on other devices through web browser
- doesn't offer precise directions to station entrances and exits
- app offers directions without internet connection but limited to driving directions
- includes Waze, which is good for warning of traffic disruptions
MOOVIT
- gets same official data from transit agencies that Apple and Google Maps get
- supplements with crowdsourcing
- volunteers improve coverage by adding information on bus routes and schedules from smaller transit agencies that don't provide mapping data
- covers 800 cities worldwide
- particularly good at accounting for service changes and disruptions
- real-time info on when the train or bus is coming
- has apps for Apple and Android mobile devices and Windows phones
CITYMAPPER
- offers specific exit information, like Apple Maps
- covers 29 cities worldwide
- available on Apple and Android mobile devices
- tells you what part of the train to get on so that you're closer to your destination when you get off
TRANSIT
- presents route choices in a grid, which takes getting used to
- offers real-time schedules, along with information on nearby bike- and car-sharing services
- covers more than 100 cities worldwide on Apple and Android mobile devices.
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