Alphabet’s Inc’s Google Inc stated, it is adding features to its Maps app which will alert users about COVID-19-related travel restrictions to help better plan their trips.
The Google Map update also allows users to check how crowded a train station is likely to be at a particular time, or whether buses running on a particular route are running on a limited schedule, said Google.
In a blog post, Google said the transit alerts would be rolled out in the United States, France, India, Argentina, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom among other countries. The updates also includes details on COVID-19 checkpoints and restrictions on crossing national borders, starting with the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
In recent months, Google has analyzed location data from billions of Google users’ phones across 131 countries to examine mobility under lockdowns and help health authorities assess whether people are abiding with rules issued to rein in the coronavirus.
Google has invested billions of dollars from its search ads business to digitally map the world, drawing 1 billion users on average every month to its free navigation app.