Apple enables Maps Transit directions in Madrid

Posted:
in iPhone edited September 2019
Apple this week activated Transit directions in Madrid, Spain, offering users in the area access to local bus, train and metro travel data.




As seen in the screenshot above, iOS and macOS device owners living in Madrid can plan trips using data from the Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid bus service, Madrid Metro and Cercanas Madrid.

Train station information and partial maps are also available, with some locations showing additional data like support for Apple Pay. The app is also showing travel advisories for certain services like bus detours due to road work.

Apple is pulling data for each transit service from first-party sources. For example, EMT Madrid is providing timetables for the Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid bus line, while Cercanas information is provided by railway operator Renfe Operadora.

At the time of this writing, Apple appears to be in the process of rolling out coverage, as Maps on macOS is for some users returning an error message saying, "Transit information for Madrid is not available." AppleInsider testing has confirmed that Transit directions and station data is working on iOS.

Apple initially offered transit directions as part of Maps through a partnership with Google, but the feature was removed with iOS 6 in 2012. With the buildout of Apple's own mapping service, Transit data returned in iOS 9 powered by technology acquired through purchases like HopStop and Embark.

The rebuilt Transit feature provides routes, departure times and other relevant data for buses, trains, ferries and other forms of public transportation. In addition to local schedules, users can access top-down views of select underground subway and train stations. The service launched with minimal support in the U.S. and China, though updates last year added expanded international support in the U.K., Germany and the Czech Republic.

Earlier this year, Apple flipped the switch on Transit in Paris and Singapore. Most recently, Transit arrived in the Netherlands and Adelaide, Australia last month.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    curtis hannahcurtis hannah Posts: 1,833member
    Good to see transit finally making a decent spot on apple maps, there still seems to be lacking areas, but at least you can go to most major E.U. and U.S. capitals and  have access to it.
    edited June 2017
  • Reply 2 of 9
    jloverjlover Posts: 13member
    It's no coincidence Madrid gets transit info in maps this week. World Pride is going on all week with millions of LGBT from across the globe making the trek. I was there for pride 3 yrs ago with it being over 2 million ppl there. World Pride could double those numbers this year. 
  • Reply 3 of 9
    zimmermannzimmermann Posts: 324member
    I still don't see anything like bike routes in Apple Maps. For that I still need google.  
    [Deleted User]
  • Reply 4 of 9
    hobshobs Posts: 8member
    This is great news. I hope they fine tune the routing engine as a basic test didn't throw out the expected results. To get to Terminal 4 in Madrid airport from Madrid Chamartin station is optimal taking a 10 minute ride in Cercanías train. Unfortunately it directs you to take the subway which means about half an hour and a change of metro lines. 
  • Reply 5 of 9
    Apple has added 6 cities in about 6 months. At this rate, they will cover every single major city in the world by the year 2030. They need to start hiring more people for this.
    [Deleted User]
  • Reply 6 of 9
    I wonder if they are ever updating the transit info with updated and live information. And if that happens automatically or they need inputs from user's or a "manual" recheck of their sources.
    And I agree with the comment above - they are too slow to implement this service. Google is light year ahead, and it seems they don't really put a lot of effort in doing this.
    One also has to admit that Google by reading everybody's pics, and emails, and location etc. can probably update their maps faster. Apple seems to rely instead (e.g. for Maps update) heavily on user's input.
    Still no transit coverage here in Munich (and the system is really not that complex) and a lot of activities and addresses missing.
    On the other hand, a missing (new?) restaurant not marked in Maps in Paris last week, has been promptly been added (with notification) after sending them a message via the Maps app. That works really well.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    techridertechrider Posts: 101member
    Just wrapped up 5 days in Tokyo and tried Apple Maps but had to switch back to Google Maps... again.  I want to love Apple Maps and try it wherever I travel, and in some cases it works well.  I definitely like how it integrates with my watch.  But when it comes to subway travel and the quickest route to your appointment, I end up switching to what actually just works :(
    edited June 2017
  • Reply 8 of 9
    glynhglynh Posts: 133member
    techrider said:
    Just wrapped up 5 days in Tokyo and tried Apple Maps but had to switch back to Google Maps... again.  I want to love Apple Maps and try it wherever I travel, and in some cases it works well.  I definitely like how it integrates with my watch.  But when it comes to subway travel and the quickest route to your appointment, I end up switching to what actually just works :(
    That about sums up my own feelings & experience with Apple Maps albeit not on the subway but on every day normal roads here in the U.K. It's a real shame...
  • Reply 9 of 9
    Worked great for us in Tokyo ... guided us to Super Autobacs, train changes and switchover to bus.
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