Select Page

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
by Brady Barrows
I recently moved to Honolulu and sold my car and have been walking and riding theBus relying heavily on Apple Maps. I also have tried using Google Maps as well so I thought you may want to know what I discovered in using these two map services. As everyone knows, when Apple first ventured into the map world that was dominated by Google Maps, it fumbled the ball. However, the team at Apple has learned a lot about how to throw some curves and speed up the ball to head into the right direction since those early days and has some features that surpass Google Maps now.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
theBus has been acclaimed in the past as “the only mass transit system to be recognized twice by the American Public Transportation Association as America’s Best Transit System for 1994–1995 and 2000–2001, beating other transit systems.” Wikipedia However, DaBus app is sorely lacking when it comes to getting from point A to point B so that is where Apple or Google Maps comes in (it does a fairly good job of letting you know when the next bus arrives since most of the buses now have GPS installed). Both apps allow you to enter a destination and the location you want to start from and recommends which bus to take depending on the time of day or night. However, Apple Maps is superior in that it shows every bus stop on the bus route while Google Maps omits this. You can see a screen shot on the left as I was traveling on the bus to my destination with Apple Maps which shows all the bus stops comparing this with the right image which shows Google Maps with no bus stops.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recommending which bus to take?

Both map services give you recommendations on which bus to take and the estimated time it departs, but as you can see in the screen shots AppleMaps allows you to choose which bus number you want (click on GO) while Google Maps doesn’t.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking

Both apps recommend the best route and are similar.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

If you use theBus, Apple Maps gives you more details such as bus stops on your routes and is superior to Google Maps. If you are walking both map services offer similar routes.