Google Maps Adds Uber Alternatives Lyft And Gett; Check Out The New Ride-Hailing Options


Google Maps added a new ride-hailing option to the app. Google announced on Thursday (Sep. 9) that it was adding the transportation services Lyft and Gett in the U.S. to its mapping service.

A button for ordering rides from Lyft will now appear inside of the Google Maps app for iOS and Android. The Gett ride button will only be available in New York City, which is the only city that the company currently operates in.

Ride options from Lyft will soon begin appearing across the U.S.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

Google Maps now offers a total of nine options of different ride-sharing services in 60 different countries.

Google Maps new addition will give users more options beyond Uber, which is already available through Google Maps.

There will be a “ride services” tab with a taxi icon alongside the driving, public transit, and walking direction tabs.

Each of the transportation service’s travel options will be available on Google Maps, like ride-sharing options Uber Pool and Lyft Line.

“We’ll also show various types of services offered by each partner — for instance Lyft may also show options for a Lyft Line ride.”

Google Maps also has other transportation options like public transit, walking, or driving.

Google users who already have the new transportation services on their phones will be able to see fare estimates and pickup times in the Google Maps app when they search for a destination.

From there, the user will be able to choose which service they want to use, select the button and be taken to the transportation service’s mobile app so they can request a ride.

Sara Torti, senior product manager of Google Maps, wrote about the app’s new feature on the Google Maps Blog.

“Say you’re looking to get from the High Line to Times Square in Manhattan. When typing these locations into the Google Maps app, you’ll see a ride services tab appear alongside driving, transit and walking directions.

“Just tap the icon and you’ll find fare estimates and pick up times from multiple ride service partners, depending on driver availability.”

Several other companies have tried to create a similar app for ordering rides. Corral Rides was a start-up in San Francisco founded in 2013, according to Fortune. The company did not last long and quickly ran into trouble when they obtained and then lost Uber and Lyft’s data without permission.

Uber’s terms of use for outside developers specifically prohibits them from added Uber to an app alongside its competitors. Google managed to get around this because like Facebook, Google formally partnered with Uber, so its rules for independent outside developers do not apply.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

A spokesperson for Lyft made a similar statement regarding the competitors being used in an app alongside each other, but declined to comment on whether or not the company had a financial arrangement with Google.

One company, Citymapper, has a similar arrangement with both Uber and Lyft and also offers fare and pickup times for the two services.

Google and Uber have had some tension recently. Google’s head of corporate development stepped down from Uber’s board due to increasing conflicts of interest.

Google is currently experimenting with a carpooling and transportation service of their own.

David Krane, head of GV (the venture capital arm of Google’s parent company, Alphabet), has also been cut off from all information regarding Uber, Fortune reported.

Uber has reportedly invested $500 million in a map service of their own, meaning they will soon stop relying on Google Maps, according to Tech Times.

Google is hoping that with the new feature will save people time and hassle of checking different transportation service apps for the best rate.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

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