At the Google For India 2017 event today, Google has announced a new Two-wheeler mode in its Maps for India. The new feature will be visible along with the car, train, and walking options. India is the first country to get ‘two-wheeler mode’ in Google Maps and it is already available with version 9.67.1 of Maps.
Google Maps director Martha Welsh made an official announcement at the event that the feature is being introduced in India as India has the largest number of registered two-wheeler vehicles. The ‘motorcycle mode’ in Maps makes a lot of sense as many people in India use a motorcycle for the daily commute. Moreover, not all roads in India are wide enough to fit in bigger vehicles like the car.
How Google Maps Two-Wheeler Mode works
It has the same features as we see in other commute options. First of all, you have to choose the new two-wheeler mode if you are riding a bike and searching for a destination in Maps. This feature will tell you the fastest, and most efficient route to a destination. The two-wheeler mode shows those “shortcuts” routes that are not accessible to cars and trucks.
Further, the mode also provides customized traffic and arrival time estimations. It will also show major landmarks on the route since most of the two-wheeler riders rely on those. The feature has rest of the Google Maps feature like traffic situations, lanes, voice navigation etc.
It is also to be noted that estimated time of arrival (ETA) shown in ‘two-wheeler mode’ is slightly less than that for the car and other modes. The feature will also reportedly show parking status at the destination along with road closures on the way.
The Indian market has always been a major area of focus for Google, and the company has released some India-centric features in its Maps earlier as well. Now, the search giant is expecting 2x user growth in the country alone on the Google Maps.
