Apple brings Maps transit coverage to Prague in Czech Republic

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone
Apple is now offering Maps transit directions for the Czech capital of Prague, returning focus to the app's European users after a stretch of concentrating on the U.S.




Riders in the city can use Maps to navigate the city's various buses, railways, and tramways. Options include trips to a number of places well outside the city core, such as Kladno.

To date the only other European cities with Apple transit coverage have technically been London and Berlin, though people in the U.K. can travel anywhere that has National Rail service.

In fact outside of the U.S. and China, there are very few countries with Maps transit support. Some others include Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil, the last only in Rio de Janeiro for the sake of the 2016 Olympics, which start this Friday.

Last week, Apple also upgraded Maps with data from Parkopedia, making it easier to find information on parking lots such as hours, prices, and even open spaces and EV charging.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    creek0512creek0512 Posts: 111member
    It's not as if Apple just now decided to start adding European metros, they've clearly been working on multiple continents concurrently.  However, the limited transit systems in most US metros take much less time and work to map and implement than the extensive transit systems found throughout most of Europe.

    Also, Apple Maps Transit does not yet support "anywhere" in the UK that has National Rail service.
  • Reply 2 of 15
    croprcropr Posts: 1,124member
    From time to time adding one city to Maps transit cannot be a successful strategy.  At this pace, it will take 50 years before all major European cities are covered. As long as the coverage is so fragmentary, there is no inclination to actually use it.

    Apple need to act like a really global company, adding transit data on a country wide base. 
    edited August 2016
  • Reply 3 of 15
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 756member
    Cool and quite surprising that Prague made in to club. Will try next time. Now it has Flyeover and transit data! It is difficult to guess how Apple chose cities but readines of data and will for cooperation from local data providers can be important, Pace of added cities is groving so it may take less then 50 years :-)
    patchythepirate
  • Reply 4 of 15
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    cropr said:
    From time to time adding one city to Maps transit cannot be a successful strategy.  At this pace, it will take 50 years before all major European cities are covered. As long as the coverage is so fragmentary, there is no inclination to actually use it.

    Apple need to act like a really global company, adding transit data on a country wide base. 
    i highly doubt it will be a linear progression of one city at a time. thus your time prediction is way off.

    and Prague is a major, major tourist city. millions of people are going to derive value from this addition immediately. they will use it.

    but yeah, doom, we get it.
    edited August 2016 patchythepirateZRyser
  • Reply 5 of 15
    jankoutjankout Posts: 1member
    Finally. I cannot understand why Apple has needed so long time. In this case it was really easy - every transit datas are being collected by the Ministry of traffic in the Czech republic and everybody can use them for free. And this is just one of more examples where is possible to act more quickly then Apple can do.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    franklinjackconfranklinjackcon Posts: 612member
    jankout said:
    Finally. I cannot understand why Apple has needed so long time. In this case it was really easy - every transit datas are being collected by the Ministry of traffic in the Czech republic and everybody can use them for free. And this is just one of more examples where is possible to act more quickly then Apple can do.
    And strangely enough, it looks like Apple has decided to use their some of their own data here. The example given is 44min to Terminal 1 but idos calculates 46mins including 4mins from metro to bus. I guess nobody at Apple has had to walk up the Veleslavin stairs with a suitcase before
  • Reply 7 of 15
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    franklinjackcon said:
    jankout said:
    Finally. I cannot understand why Apple has needed so long time. In this case it was really easy - every transit datas are being collected by the Ministry of traffic in the Czech republic and everybody can use them for free. And this is just one of more examples where is possible to act more quickly then Apple can do.
    And strangely enough, it looks like Apple has decided to use their some of their own data here. The example given is 44min to Terminal 1 but idos calculates 46mins including 4mins from metro to bus. I guess nobody at Apple has had to walk up the Veleslavin stairs with a suitcase before
    I know of no mapping data that takes in to account flights of stairs.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 756member
    nolamacguy said:
    cropr said:
    From time to time adding one city to Maps transit cannot be a successful strategy.  At this pace, it will take 50 years before all major European cities are covered. As long as the coverage is so fragmentary, there is no inclination to actually use it.

    Apple need to act like a really global company, adding transit data on a country wide base. 
    i highly doubt it will be a linear progression of one city at a time. thus your time prediction is way off.

    and Prague is a major, major tourist city. millions of people are going to derive value from this addition immediately. they will use it.
    That's true. You can see Chinese tourists carrying theirs gold IPhone Pluses everywhere. So Apple probably maps iPhone density in tourist destinations.
  • Reply 9 of 15
    greginpraguegreginprague Posts: 484member
    franklinjackcon said:
    jankout said:
    Finally. I cannot understand why Apple has needed so long time. In this case it was really easy - every transit datas are being collected by the Ministry of traffic in the Czech republic and everybody can use them for free. And this is just one of more examples where is possible to act more quickly then Apple can do.
    And strangely enough, it looks like Apple has decided to use their some of their own data here. The example given is 44min to Terminal 1 but idos calculates 46mins including 4mins from metro to bus. I guess nobody at Apple has had to walk up the Veleslavin stairs with a suitcase before
    Has the MHD stopped paying college kids to haul your luggage quickly up the steps for you?  Unless you're obese or packing bricks it's about 20 seconds up the flight of steps without any help.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    oirudleahcimoirudleahcim Posts: 36member
    I just don't understand Apple's priorities any more.

    In one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the US, namely Phoenix, there is still no transit info available in either iOS Maps or Mac OS X Maps. How is it that Apple thumps its chest for getting overseas locales up and running as a priority but doesn't remedy its gaping data hole in one of the largest US metro areas?

    Thank jah for Google Maps, TomTom and a few other iOS transit apps. Otherwise, I'd be sunk trying to get around.

    Ridiculous! Thanks, Apple!

    /endrant
  • Reply 11 of 15
    franklinjackconfranklinjackcon Posts: 612member
    SpamSandwich said:
    franklinjackcon said:
    And strangely enough, it looks like Apple has decided to use their some of their own data here. The example given is 44min to Terminal 1 but idos calculates 46mins including 4mins from metro to bus. I guess nobody at Apple has had to walk up the Veleslavin stairs with a suitcase before
    I know of no mapping data that takes in to account flights of stairs.
    Most good transport apps won't give you connections you can't make. Changing from one bus to another on the same stop takes less than one minute but going from metro to bus can take a few. 
  • Reply 12 of 15
    ZRyserZRyser Posts: 40member
    I just don't understand Apple's priorities any more.

    In one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the US, namely Phoenix, there is still no transit info available in either iOS Maps or Mac OS X Maps. How is it that Apple thumps its chest for getting overseas locales up and running as a priority but doesn't remedy its gaping data hole in one of the largest US metro areas?

    Thank jah for Google Maps, TomTom and a few other iOS transit apps. Otherwise, I'd be sunk trying to get around.

    Ridiculous! Thanks, Apple!

    /endrant
    Apple, like any successful company, makes business based decisions. Not only is Prague a major tourist destination (#19 in the world in Master Card Global Destination Cities Index with 5.47 million tourists visiting in 2015), but more importantly it is a very popular destination for Asian tourists: mainly Chinese, Korean and Japanese. And market growth in Asia might be Apple's number 1 priority at the moment.
    edited August 2016 hagar
  • Reply 13 of 15
    hagarhagar Posts: 130member
    oirudleahcim said:
    I just don't understand Apple's priorities any more.

    In one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the US, namely Phoenix, there is still no transit info available in either iOS Maps or Mac OS X Maps. How is it that Apple thumps its chest for getting overseas locales up and running as a priority but doesn't remedy its gaping data hole in one of the largest US metro areas?

    Thank jah for Google Maps, TomTom and a few other iOS transit apps. Otherwise, I'd be sunk trying to get around.

    Ridiculous! Thanks, Apple!

    /endrant
    Why would Apple prioritise Phoenix over Prague? Maps is an international product so good for them for rolling out the service in mayor international hubs and destinations. 
    ZRyser
  • Reply 14 of 15
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 756member
    Is there anybody who tried it? I see no transit. It may be because I am on iOS 9.3.2 not 9.3.3 and because I am not in Prague physically. But not sure it is the reason.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    ZRyserZRyser Posts: 40member
    frantisek said:
    Is there anybody who tried it? I see no transit. It may be because I am on iOS 9.3.2 not 9.3.3 and because I am not in Prague physically. But not sure it is the reason.
    Works fine for me. I'm on iOS 9.3.3 and not in Prague either.
Sign In or Register to comment.