Google Maps Covering World’s Public Transit Routes & Schedules

Originally published on Planetsave.

A couple of sparkly infographics tout Google’s improvements to its public transit maps today.

Over the years, the information giant has been pretty thoughtful in publishing transit information for those who don’t or can’t travel by car. Apparently, that’s 70% of the world’s population, although just over 50% of Americans are carless, er, car-free, and only 35% of those who live in Luxembourg, the world leader for car ownership, lack automobiles.

This May 2014 update concerns public transit routes and schedules for all the buses, trains, trams, and subways included in Google Maps. The transit data covers six continents, 64 countries, and more than 15,000 municipalities worldwide.

If you could take all the rides Google Maps now document in one day, says Google’s Public Transit product manager David Tattersall, you’d be traveling 200 million kilometers (about 125 million miles). World travelers, take note!