What you need to know
- Google Maps will now let you know if the bikesharing station near you has a bike available and how many.
- The feature has been available in New York City for the past year and is now expanding to 24 new cities in 16 countries.
- Google will be working to add more cities in the future.
Over the past few years, bikesharing has really taken off, especially in larger cities where traffic can be horrendous. Why spend your time stuck in traffic or hoofing it on two feet when two wheels will get you there faster?
So far, there is an estimated 1,600 bikeshare systems worldwide for a total of more than 18 million shared bike rides in urban centers. It's pretty safe to say that bikesharing has gone mainstream and shows no signs of slowing down.
Now that bikesharing is officially a trend, Google Maps has found a new way to help you get around. Similar to how Maps has evolved over the years to provide us with information for buses, trains, and ridesharing, it has now also found a way to incorporate bikesharing into the app, making it easy for you to check all your available options when it comes time to commute.
The bikesharing feature in Google Maps will be able to riders locate bikesharing stations, as well as letting you see exactly how many bikes are available, and all in real-time. It will also be able to tell you if there is an empty spot for you to return a bike.
Commuters in New York City have had access to this feature for the past year, but as of July 17, Google is rolling it out to 24 new cities in 16 countries.
- Barcelona
- Berlin
- Brussels
- Budapest
- Chicago
- Dublin
- Hamburg
- Helsinki
- Kaohsiung
- London
- Los Angeles
- Lyon, Madrid
- Mexico City
- Montreal
- New Taipei City
- New York City
- Rio de Janeiro
- San Francisco Bay Area
- São Paulo, Toronto
- Vienna
- Warsaw
- Zurich
Now, whether you're in Barcelona, Los Angeles, or Zurich, you'll be able to find a bike to help you get around the city. This is made possible thanks to a partnership between Google Maps and Ito World. The feature is available for Google Maps on both Android and iOS with more cities coming in the future.
