If you drive in Lagos or any other major city, you’ve probably tried out Google Maps navigation for driving directions. While driving directions aren’t always accurate, they’re considerable easy to follow and if you apply a bit of common sense, you’re unlikely to get lost.
Google maps bus directions on the other hand are pretty unrelatable. Say I wanted to commute from the CcHub in Sabo to the Palms Mall at Lekki by bus. Here’s what Google maps bus directions currently look like
Here’s what they should look like:
Warning: these directions are in beta suck and should be followed with caution
We don’t have to wait for Google to get it right; what is required is a locally relevant solution to a local problem. Ironically, a lot, if not all, of the data Google currently uses for these directions was submitted by a local agency – LagBus.
Anyone who can implement a better, more accurate and relatable solution will no doubt make a killing. Until that happens, I think we’re better off sticking with the traditional method of asking people for directions. Or we can just save time by asking Gidi Traffic:
https://twitter.com/Danonles91/statuses/425132908337446912
Response time – less than 2 minutes. How’s that for speed and accuracy?
Photo Credit: Bankole Oluwafemi via Compfight cc
