Skip to main content

Edinburgh launches live transport updates in Google Maps

Passengers of Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams will be the first in Scotland to access real-time service information on Google Maps thanks to a partnership between Transport for Edinburgh and Google. Google Maps on desktop and mobile now uses real-time predictions to deliver more accurate directions between any two places in Edinburgh, taking into account delays and diversions, with live updates from every bus and tram in the fleet. Google Maps has an overview of where all buses and trams are on the
January 11, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Passengers of Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams will be the first in Scotland to access real-time service information on Google Maps thanks to a partnership between Transport for Edinburgh and Google.

Google Maps on desktop and mobile now uses real-time predictions to deliver more accurate directions between any two places in Edinburgh, taking into account delays and diversions, with live updates from every bus and tram in the fleet.

Google Maps has an overview of where all buses and trams are on the network at any one time, and shows expected times of arrival together with relevant service delays. The same information is fully integrated with the Transport for Edinburgh app and the Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams websites.

Transport data specialists ITO World and the City of Edinburgh Council have also supported the initiative. As an agency for Google's public transit data, ITO provides data conversion and quality improvement services to help ensure public transport information in Google Maps is as consistently accurate as possible.

Jim McFarlane, chair of Lothian Buses said: “We appreciate just how important it is for our customers to have timely and accurate information and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to work with Google on being the first Scottish city to introduce this service. Along with our travel and mobile ticketing apps, and access to free wi-fi across our bus and tram network, this latest innovation underlines our commitment to harness technology that improves our customer service.

Mike Jacklin, commercial and delivery director at ITO World said: “We are excited to have partnered with Lothian Buses, the City of Edinburgh Council and Google to bring Edinburgh's real time information into Google Maps. Providing the travelling public access to accurate, reliable real time information from their mobile phones through applications such as Google Maps increases confidence in using public transport and improves their travel options.”

Related Content

  • Sydney gets real-time bus information
    December 18, 2012
    Sydney bus passengers can now track whether their bus service is running late, with the New South Wales (NSW) government making real-time information on bus movements available to mobile app developers. The latest versions of TripView, Arrivo Sydney and TripGo allow users to locate the nearest bus stop and ticket machine, predict when a bus is to arrive and see where a bus is on its route using GPS data from the Public Transport Information Priority System (PTIPS). The real time information will initially b
  • Veolia Transdev and IBM collaborate to improve urban transport in cities
    June 27, 2012
    Veolia Transdev and IBM today announced that together they are developing a smarter mobility solution designed to help cities alleviate road congestion, optimise transportation infrastructures and improve the urban traveller experience. The first application of the smarter mobility solution is being piloted in the city of Lyon, France, which is the second largest metropolitan area in the country outside of Paris, as part of the city’s Optimod project. Optimod'Lyon will test and validate new services to impr
  • Google maps the future of traffic and travel information?
    March 16, 2012
    Will the relentless growth of Google lead to it becoming the ultimate provider of travel information services? Huw Williams investigates Google’s strategy and David Crawford discovers what two principal rivals are doing to keep pace. In the first weeks of 2012 one company staked two divergent claims on the future of transport. One is the science fiction of only a decade ago, turned into reality: the driverless car. The other seems more prosaic, yet in its own way is just as significant a marker of the futur
  • TfGM launches tap and go pay across Bee Network
    April 8, 2025
    Payment for buses and trams in UK's Greater Manchester region are simplified