Google Maps wants to make your travels “greener” by offering alternative routes to the car

Google is trying to change the habits of users of Maps. A new feature will offer routes that emit less CO2 than the car, when they exist.

Google Maps continues to gain functionality, and this time it has nothing to do with artificial intelligence. In a blog post published on April 17, the company announced changes to its mapping application, for the good of the planet. In a few weeks, the app will offer those who travel by car more environmentally friendly routes, where available.

Faster and more practical “responsible” routes

Concretely, when you look for a route by road, a small box will tell you how to make the same trip by public transport. No question of making you take 3 buses and 2 metros on the other hand, Google clearly specifies that the alternative solution will appear “ when the travel time will be similar and accessible “.

Obviously, this will require Google to have access to the data of the different public transport operators. It is for this reason that this new feature will be deployed first in the major European capitals, including Paris. Let’s hope that the company does not show excessive Parisianism and deploys this novelty in other French cities quickly, many transport agencies across the country keep their data openly accessible, as proven by the work done by Citymapper.

The train rather than the plane

To complete its “responsible” offer, Google will also display train routes directly in the results page of its eponymous search engine. If you are looking for “Train from Marseille to Paris», the prices as well as the transit times will be displayed in a small summary table with a link to complete the reservation. No doubt that in France it will be the results of SNCF-Connect which will appear in the vast majority. Bus routes “long distance» will also be offered to those who want to save money.

Finally, Google Flights, the search giant’s tool that lists air travel prices, will also begin to show train travel alternatives when available. Rather than making a Paris-Nice flight, the tool will suggest you make the same journey by train by offering you a link allowing you to make a reservation for the given day and time (approximately).

A way of empowering users which should not make us forget that Google is not ecologically impeccable with its energy-intensive server farms, its smartphone production that is fond of rare metals and its AI that consumes a lot of water.

Source : Google