Redesigning Google Maps to simplify Public Transport & to Commute confidently in a New City
Holding the Smart City by its tail. Heatmaps for Public Transport abounding areas. Like Bus Depot, Taxi Stand & Auto Stand.
I somehow feel that Google Maps is built in the U.S. and contextually solves problems specific to that demography. Most people in Western Countries have privately owned vehicles. So, they hop in the car, open Google Maps, set the Destination, and cruise. But this is not the same with Eastern Countries. Public Transport is a necessity here. People hop between Lane commutes and Last Mile commutes to reach their destination.
If Google want to reach out to the NEXT BILLION USERS, they need to personalize applications by the context of Demography.
Indian Cities have almost all modes of local commute. We have Rikshaw, E-Rikshaw, Auto Rikshaw, E-Scooter, Vikram, Toto, Launch Boat, Ferry Boat, Tempo Traveller, Mini Bus, Local Bus, Tram, Metro Train (subway), Local Train and even Helicopter Service. In some places, we have shared Auto Rikshaw service. Typically, 3 or 4 commuters share one Auto Rikshaw which has fixed onboarding and offboarding points. Vikram and Toto are always shared.
Hopping through a combination of Public Commute can reduce the fair spend for a stretch to 30 Rupees for which taking a cab could cost 300 Rupees. In peak hours, I’ve noticed, hopping public commute saves time in Traffic Congested Indian Cities. Traveling with Local Train and then taking a shared Toto for the last mile connectivity will cut the travel time by half compared to traveling by cab through traffic in peak hours.
There is an even bigger and more concerning social problem. Indian cities are tackling very high levels of pollution and traffic congestion. It leads to stress and various type of health issues for everyone living in the cities. We can take the reference of Delhi. Delhi is the Capital of India. Recently there was News that Delhi Government is considering banning all private vehicles in Delhi due to high pollution and traffic conjunction. Pollution and Traffic is a well-acknowledged issue and dealt with at various levels. Many Campaigns by Government, Public, and Private bodies to encourage people to use public commutes are showing results. But from a technology point of view, we have to enable people by empowering them with real tools. One such tool is to improve maps.
India is primarily divided into three categories of commuters. The first is people with low earnings. They don’t have any choice than using the public transport backbone. The second category is people who can afford private vehicles but would prefer public transport if there is less hassle throughout the whole process of deciding about a Journey to reaching to the destination. According to a recent survey bumper-to-bumper traffic and parking are the top two reasons for stress among Indian drivers. Parking space is at scarcity in posh areas because most of the cities in India are unplanned. However, the third category is people who travel only by private vehicle.
Next Milestone for Maps is to stretch the Ease of Commute Paradigm.
In India when we move to a new city or have to visit a new locality, we generally collect information by word of mouth from local people on local commute. The way a city dweller living in the city for 10 years will narrate the route information considering various factors and acknowledging their personal encounters will be of substantial value.
As simple as going to a Movie Theater that is a little far but well connected with multiple public transport options and easy to access even in the wee hours will be preferred more than a nearby Movie Theater located remotely.
So, how good is Google Maps in conveying public commutation-related information?
Google Maps need to show altogether different sets of easily interpretable visual information to assist, someone with planning to travel using Public Commute. It needs to show Public Transport abounding areas maybe using heatmaps. It may need to color code the stretches of Onboarding and Offboarding based on different types of vehicles. Like right now it uses a dotted line to differentiate between walkable distance and a vehicle. It can also show the estimated fare on each route. Showing fairness may help the Government initiative of One Nation One Card in the future. On the other hand, while using a public commute, we don’t need to worry about the speed limit, sign boards, flyovers, turns, and curves in the route. So the screen will be free from those types of clutter. Announcing the destination a couple of minutes early to get prepared is all that is required.
Now the question is, how would we collect the dynamic data of all these local commutes?
We have Surveillance Traffic Cameras, Image Recognition, and Artificial Intelligence. This could measure the frequency of a route at different times of the day. This could also figure out the crowd of passengers waiting at the bus stand, taxi stand, auto stand, and rikshaw stand in the wee hours of the afternoon and late at night. That data could be passed on to local commute operators and drivers. After all, if operators come to know that the street is getting busy they will merrily operate.
Opening up commute-related information to the public will improve mobility awareness for everyone. A well-connected area will attract the urban population to relocate. Thus the population will slowly distribute evenly throughout the city. It will ease the consumption, distribution, and management of resources like water and electric grid load. The horizontal spread will encourage layout and sector-based urban planning. Sector-based urban planning will provide space for new schools, hospitals, offices, shops, parks, and community centers that will create new jobs. It will reduce vertical growth, traffic congestion, and pollution.
This Big Data could be passed to Urban Planning Bodies. It will help to locate and prioritize the latent areas that have the potential to urbanize. A big portion of people earn their living by operating local commutes. It will increase the last mile connectivity-related jobs (auto, toto, tuk-tuk, rickshaw, electric bikes). A well-connected area will also attract real estate investments. The density and availability of public transport help Real Estate to grow.
Ola and Uber have just scratched the surface. They have already reached a saturation point. Due to high operational costs and lack of paid customers, they are already unpopular in the outskirts of Metro Cities and Tire 1 Cities. Tire 2 and Tire 3 cities barely have them.
Indian Cities are alive and breathing. They have a celebrated past that could be found in Urban Photography. It would be ignorant to attempt to disrupt a society overnight. Vertical growth, limited resources, pollution, congestion, and stress will in no way fit the definition of a Smart City. In the true sense of Inclusive Design, we must serve each other to slowly transform and uplift the whole community. What we sow is what we reap and that is clearly visible in the current state.
How Urban Photography can influence the Collective Conscience and Urban Planning of Tomorrow? Well, that is the topic of another time.
