Hamilton residents and visitors to Hamilton now have the option of getting public transit directions when planning trips on Google Maps, thanks to collaboration between Google and Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) -- the transit division of Hamilton’s Public Works department. Hamilton is the first municipality in the Greater Toronto Area to introduce a public transit feature for trip planning on Google Maps.
“The Hamilton public transit feature on Google Maps opens up more options for getting around our city,” says Hamilton’s Director of Transit, Don Hull. “It gives public transit greater profile as a viable option for getting around Hamilton and provides users with another convenient avenue to accessing bus schedules and trip planning.” The Google Maps public transit feature can also be accessed on BlackBerry devices and most PDA devices and cell phones.
"We're excited to be working with the City of Hamilton to help people easily find transit directions for their city," says Naomi Bilodeau, Product Specialist, Google Transit. "Hamilton is a key part of southern Ontario's transit system, and we hope users throughout the Golden Horseshoe area will benefit from this added information."
Through an interface with HSR bus schedule and route information, the feature allows the user the option of using a combination of public transit, walking or driving to get to a destination within Hamilton. Users are provided with information on which bus route to take and the next scheduled bus along the trip. To access the program, visit www.google.ca/transit and select “Hamilton.”
HSR is the first transit authority in the Greater Golden Horseshoe area and the fifth Canadian municipality to introduce the public transit feature on Google Maps.
HSR operates 30 regular routes and three seasonal routes with a fleet of 204 environmentally friendly buses for Hamilton’s half-million population. For more information about any HSR services or schedules, visit hamilton.ca/hsr or call the HSR customer service line at 905 527-4441.