There are many other factors to consider besides direction when determining the best route to a destination.
Google Maps typically presents users with different options based on time, price, mode of transportation, minimum travel distance, etc.
on wednesday, Google announced Google Maps and Google Search are adding new and updated sustainability features to help people find convenient public transit, walking directions, and see alternatives to flying. and better understand the estimated emissions of flights.
Maps will have a new feature that will suggest alternative public transport or walking routes alongside car routes when travel times are comparable and practical.
Google says the feature will be available in more than 15 cities around the world in the coming weeks, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Montreal, Paris, Rome and Sydney.
Search will now be able to find long-distance rail route information and will also support buses.
For example, if you search for “trains from Boston to Philadelphia,” the results page will immediately display schedules and ticket prices, as well as a link to complete your reservation.
Search’s train information is now available in 38 countries, and coach routes are now available in 15 countries.
Last year, Google started rolling out rail route suggestions that appear when you search for flights in Search, because it wasn’t previously clear whether trains were better than planes as a travel route.
And in the coming months, users will be able to instantly see train route suggestions on Google Flights, making it easier to find more sustainable options no matter where you start your search.
Google Flights allows you to see estimated emissions for almost every battle, and you can also filter options by those with the lowest emissions. You’ll see train suggestions in the same location, so you can see how your trip impacts the environment and choose the most sensible option.
Google Flights emissions estimates are powered by the Travel Impact Model (TIM). TIM is a Google-based methodology published in 2022 to predict flight emissions per passenger.
TIM estimates are now also available through a developer API, making the data accessible to all users, including apps, websites, Google Sheets add-ons, and calculators on the TIM website.
