Surat Municipal Corporation with the help of its SPVs, Surat Sitilink Limited and Surat Smart City Development Limited has collaborated with Google to add real-time bus information in Google Maps. This would provide the commuters real time bus information making it easier to plan their trips. Surat is the first city in Gujarat and second in India to launch real time transit information with Google Maps.
So the next time you’re planning a trip between Patelwadi and Maharana Pratap Circle, you can simply type the two locations into Google Maps to get information about which bus to catch and – more importantly – you’ll see when the next bus is actually arriving at your stop. You’ll also get an estimation of how long your trip is going to take, and if your bus is delayed Google Transit will automatically update the times in line with the new conditions. Arrival times based on real-time information available are marked in green on Google Maps.
The new Google Transit feature will enable people in Surat to get real-time updated information for Surat Sitilink's transit routes, the company said. Commuters in Surat will be able to get information such as when a bus to their desired destination will arrive at their stop, and how long the commute could take. People will also be able to check the arrival time for the next bus The new feature is available on both Android and iOS apps of Google Maps, and users can also find such information through a search on Google if they looked up for a particular bus stop, and tapped on the name and the listed bus numbers.
"Surat Sitilink Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Surat Municipal Corporation, offers a passenger oriented transit system that is fast, comfortable, economical and eco-friendly. Surat Smart City want to deliver an enhanced experience for our commuters by sharing real-time transit information with Google Maps. We are confident that the practical use of this technology will facilitate better trip planning resulting in greater convenience to commuters." said Shri M Thennarasan IAS, Municipal Commissioner, SMC and Chairman, Surat Sitilink Limited.
To utilise the new Google Maps feature, users in Surat will need follow these steps:
Alternatively, it is possible to access real-time bus information by searching for a particular bus stop, tapping its name and its listed bus numbers. You will then see a listing of all buses arriving, with the location-enabled buses displaying their real-time ETA from the stop.
Google Transit is a feature of Google Maps designed to help you plan your public transport trips quickly and easily. Surat Sitilink covers about 90% of SMC built up area within 500 kms via 166 BRTS and 275 City buses with networks of about 102 kms and 290 kms respectively serving over 95000 passengers of BRTS and over 90000 passengers of City bus system everyday. Surat Sitilink with Surat Smart City Development Limited has launched Surat Sitilink Android and iOS mobile application to ease the use of public transport for commuters. Surat Sitilink continues to introduce new facilities and serve the citizens of Surat to enable faster and better delivery of public transit services.
