Hop on the bus, Gus. Or the train. Or the subway.

Posted by Christoph Oehler, Product Manager

For some time now we have been "painting" icons for transit stops into our maps. While it was helpful to be able to see where to catch a train or bus, it left a lot of people wishing they could click on the icon to get more information about a specific station. Now that's all changed! Depending on the data available for a given public transit system, Google Maps now shows the next departure times, what lines serve a specific station, and/or a link to the transit agency to get more detail. Try clicking on one of the little bus or tram icons on this map of Zurich, Switzerland, to see what we mean. You can also search for stations (for example "59th St - Columbus Circle Station, new york").

Our transit information is acquired through a variety of means, including transit agencies, geo data companies, websites, and maps. We are continuously working to expand our coverage. If you are interested in having this data available for your city, point your local transit agency to this website where they can learn more about how to upload their transit data.

For some cities we even provide a trip planner for public transportation: try it out. Here too we're working to expand the cities that we cover, so stay tuned.