Google adds transit data in Android Maps update

Google is adding transit information for major cities to its mobile Maps platform.

The company said that it would be updating the transit layer for its Android Maps application to provide additional data and clarity for users on bus and train routes and schedules.

The update will provide users with better information on various transit lines and better distinguishes between different systems in densly populated areas.

"We've made some changes to the Transit Lines layer, so that you can select a specific mode of public transportation (train, bus, tram or subway) to display on the mobile map, hiding the other modes," explained Google Maps software engineer Christopher Van Der Westhuizen.

"This is helpful in areas where there is a tight concentration of several types of public transit."

Additionally, the company said that the update will bring Google Maps to more than one million transit stops in 500 cities, including London and cities in Scotland, East Anglia, East Midlands and the South-East.

The company said that the transit data was part of a larger update to the Maps platform that would include the addition of city and postal borders as well as the default display of location history information.

The Maps update comes as Google finds its mobile software presence dwindling due to cuts from Apple.

The iPhone maker has dropped the Google Maps software from iOS in favour of its in-house mapping platform. Earlier this month the company announced that an expiring contract would bring an end to the YouTube application which had shipped as standard with all versions of iOS.