Starting today, users of Uber can simply open up the Google Maps app, plug in a destination, then get detailed information on whether an Uber is the best option for you to get somewhere.
Usually, if you want to use Uber, you must open their app, hail a car, type in your destination, then you will be on your way. With this ride service integration in Google Maps, a newly dedicated tab specifically for ride services will show you estimated time to your destination, as well as the cost for the different tiers of Uber service. This is in addition to the other ETAs the Google Maps app provides, such as public transportation, walking, and biking.
In the US, Uber riders can choose between uberX, uberXL, and uberBlack Car, all of which will estimate the cost of how much your trip will be. If you decide to choose one, a single tap takes you into the Uber app and hails your ride.
For anyone outside of the US, Google is implementing other ride services, and taxis, into this tabbed area. Services will be available such as 99Taxis in Brazil, Ola Cabs in India, Hailo in the UK, mytaxi in Germany, and Gett in the UK.
Google is rolling this feature out starting today and over the next week. For iOS users, it’s coming soon.
will it know if they are surging?!
I hope this can be disabled!!
I wish they would merge waze into it. Great to know when the Po-po are nearby or if there are traffic cams
does it also work in india
wit same features
http://smartcell.co.in
How long until inveitable Waze integration?
They already bring Waze data into Google Maps. Please keep it to data Google, don’t bring in the horrible UI from Waze.
Just the police and red light camera warnings. Also, the traffic data would be nice too.
traffic and accidents are whats included. but yeah, red light cams and cops would be huge. im actually annoyed when it tells me about potholes.
Their ETA is horrific for anything longer than a quick trip across town. They need to make it where it uses a 5 minute or mile rolling average to recalculate the ETA
Maybe it depends on where you are at. In the Chicago area the ETA is almost dead-on perfect even for really long drives.
What is a really long drive up that way? On a short drive (like 3-4 miles), i can beat the ETA by 2-3 minutes at times, on a longer drive (like 15 miles), it has time to correct itself, but I’ve still beat it by 2-3 minutes sometimes. On long drives (200+ miles) it corrects itself when I’m about 5 miles out…which makes ETA useless since I’m basically already there. Before it does, it may be as much as 12-15 min behind. It tries to anticipate you will drive at/around the limit or with the flow of traffic. No good for those of us with places to go…
My daily commute is 15 miles about 25 – 30 minutes and it is very accurate. I’ve had it be within 2 minutes on a 60 minute drive from the southwest suburbs to the NW side of the city. Again, there is a lot of data from trucks, sensors, etc. in the city, so that may account for how accurate it is.
I use Lyft, so no good for me.
I wish Maps would let the user choose which ride share app to integrate with.
why not use both depending on who is charging more at whatever time of day?
Hmm? Is that different then the one that’s been at the bottom of maps for months?
I guess it is a little different. It used to be at the bottom.
This is how I used to use it…
It is really great to see Google releasing something to Android first before IOS. It’s almost as if Google has some kind of stake in helping Android become better than IOS.
I know, weird right?
They do whatever brings them money. So whether it’s on ios or android they get money no matter what.
They have a stake in getting advertisements to the most number of eyeballs. Period.
Huh, a bit touchy aren’t we? Perhaps you are on your. Period.
Not sure what part is touchy. Google is an ad company first and foremost, pure and simple. Always has, always will be. Everyone knows this. I love Google just as much as the next guy so I am confused why pointing this out is somehow “touchy”.
Ah, it must have been the “Period.” at the end of your comment that came across like that. As if, maybe, your statement was the only truth, and there was no other way it could be. Google Is an advertising company, but they also have lots of money and time invested in multiple other ventures. One of those is the Android OS, and making sure that customers enjoy using Android phones so that it will be successful. So my comment was true. Google has money invested in making Android better than IOS. And I said it in a sarcastic joking matter because many people here know that Google has a history of updating their apps on IOS first, and then Android apps later on.
“but they also have lots of money and time invested in multiple other ventures” – Yes, but what are the vast majority of those ventures about? What is the common thread that runs through nearly all of them? Making it easier and more ubiquitous to get online and share content with other humans, where they can present more people with more ads.
Sure, you can say their motives are altruistic in wanting to empower people with connectivity to the internet or they actually “care”. You could also argue they are one of the most socially-aware and forward-thinking capitalist companies in existence. I would probably agree. But at the end of the day, they are still a company who is ultimately beholden to shareholders. Everything they do and everything they create is through the prism of “More eyes on more ads”. They do not rake in nearly 20 billion every QUARTER by accident. That isn’t inherently good or bad, it’s just the reality. That is all I was trying to say.
Oh and my “Peroid.” in my OP was *TOTALLY* presumptuous and touchy. Thank you for calling it out. One love. 🙂
Ride sharing and autonomous ride sharing taxis will be the future of travel, at least in larger cites like NYC. Google’s Autonomous and Uber ride shares will be another form of mass / public transit.
I would gladly give google a little share of my Uber ride. Uber is starting to piss me off. Nonstop surge pricing in Chicago.
Hailo and Mytaxi also available in Spain, according to Google Maps’ blog.
But I use Lyft!!!
Always!