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

  • South Nevada RTC provides bus crowding data 
    January 19, 2021
    Transit's app will help passengers make decisions about socially-distanced journeys
  • Optibus and Ito World plan ahead
    September 26, 2022
    Software and routing specialists get together to create 'more efficient' public transport
  • Tram ticketing contract for Parkeon
    January 16, 2013
    UK headquartered ticketing technology company Parkeon Transit is to provide the complete ticketing system for the Edinburgh tram project, including the supply and maintenance of the company’s latest Galexio-Plus ticket machines, Axio platform validators, and hand-held payment terminals. The system will be enabled to dual-read both ITSO cards and the Lothian Buses’ Ridacard, and will be linked to the existing Lothian Buses’ back office, with card holders sharing the benefits across both the tram and bus netw
  • MaaS transit does Dallas
    October 22, 2018
    What started five years ago as a mobile ticketing app is evolving towards a full MaaS offering for the US city of Dallas, Texas. Colin Sowman finds out why and how. When it was launched in September 2013, GoPass was the first multimodal, multi-agency transit fare payment app in the US. Introduced by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (Dart), GoPass combines a mobile ticketing app with a trip planning function and it is also accepted by Trinity Railway Express, Trinity Metro and the Denton County Transportation