A new feature in Google Maps is making riding the bus more convenient in Billings.
The feature was launched last week and allows MET Transit riders use the Google Maps app on their smart phones or desktop computer to get better directions for routes.
Here's how it works:
- Enter your destination.
- Click directions.
- Select the bus Icon.
- Enter your starting point.
- You can choose travel directions and times based upon “leave now, depart at, arrive by, or last available”.
- Select options to customize your travel based on “best route, fewer transfers, or less walking” and select the option that works for you.
"It helps to deal with not just the usability of the system, but it also helps us to look at potential fixes for traffic congestion for, you know, air quality, things such as that. So as Billings continues to grow, it's much more essential that we have a convenient usable transit system in place," said Rusty Logan, manager of Billings MET.
Trip planning has worked in big cities across the country and is expected to increase the number of riders in Billings, according to the city.
MET buses operate Monday through Friday from 5:45 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Billings has 450 bus stops across the city.
