Economic sustainability is a growing concern in today’s world. With climate change and environmental degradation becoming more prevalent, tech giants are stepping up their game in contributing to the cause. Google, a global leader in technological innovation, is making strides in this direction with significant updates to its Maps and Search services.
Recently, Google announced the addition of new features to Google Maps and Google Search aimed at promoting sustainability. These updates are designed to aid users in finding more economical and eco-friendly ways to travel.
“When determining the best route to your destination, there are more factors to consider than just directions.”
Google Maps, widely used for navigation, will now offer alternative public transit and walking routes alongside driving routes. This feature aims to make travel more sustainable by reducing reliance on private vehicles, thereby cutting down on emissions.
The new feature will suggest alternative routes if the travel times are roughly the same and practical. It is noteworthy that these updates will be rolled out in over fifteen cities around the globe, including major cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Montreal, Paris, Rome, and Sydney.
In line with this sustainability drive, Google Search will now allow users to find information on long-distance train routes and will also support buses. This means users can now search for train and bus schedules, ticket prices, and even complete the booking process, all within the Google Search results page.
This feature to search train information is now accessible in 38 countries, and long-distance bus routes are available in 15 countries.
Until recently, it was not apparent whether trains were a more sustainable alternative to planes for a given route. Recognizing this, Google began rolling out train route suggestions when users searched for flights last year.
In the coming months, users will be able to see these train route suggestions directly on Google Flights. This feature will make it easier to find more sustainable travel options, regardless of where your search begins.
Google Flights now offers the possibility to see the estimated emissions for almost every flight. Users can filter their options by lowest emissions and with the train suggestions in the same place, they can assess the environmental impact of their trip and choose the most reasonable option.
The estimated emissions on Google Flights are powered by the Travel Impact Model (TIM), a Google-developed methodology for predicting flight emissions per passenger.
TIM estimates have now been made accessible through a developer API. This means the data can be used in apps, websites, Google Sheets add-ons, and a calculator on the TIM website.
This move makes the information more accessible to all users, promoting transparency in the environmental impact of their travel choices.
