Apple Maps Transit Directions Now Available in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Omaha, Nebraska

[MacRumors]

Apple recently updated its Maps app to add transit directions and data for Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Omaha, Nebraska, two places where transit information was not previously available outside of Amtrak routes.

Apple Maps users in Milwaukee and Omaha can now select public transportation routes when getting directions between two locations, with bus lines available in both areas.

Apple has not yet added Milwaukee or Omaha to the website where it lists areas transit directions are available, but it's likely these two locations will be listed soon.

Transit directions were first added to Apple Maps in 2015 with the launch of iOS 9. Maps initially only offered transit information in a handful of cities, but over the course of the last three years, Apple has worked to expand the feature to additional areas.

Transit information is now live in dozens of cities and countries around the world, with a full list available on Apple's iOS 11 Feature Availability website.

(Thanks, Geoffrey!)

Article Link: Apple Maps Transit Directions Now Available in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Omaha, Nebraska

 

[Skyrunner1]

Why does every small town in the US get this and Europe has barely any coverage at all...

 

[kuwxman]

Why does every small town in the US get this and Europe has barely any coverage at all...

Milwaukee and Omaha are hardly small towns...

 

[cgibson190]

Why does every small town in the US get this and Europe has barely any coverage at all...

Omaha has over 900,000 people in its metro population, and Milwaukee has 1.5 million. This sounds like an uneducated comment at best.

 

[TheWatchfulOne]

Why does every small town in the US get this and Europe has barely any coverage at all...

Milwaukee and Omaha aren't exactly small towns. Perhaps U.S. locations are more easily accessible to the Apple representatives actually doing the work then Europe is?

 

[DTphonehome]

After having worked in Milwaukee for a while, I can say that it would be wise not to whip out your Apple device on public transport.

 

[york2600]

There's work on both Apple's part and that of the transit system that wants to get included. If an agency isn't willing to do that work then they're data isn't getting into Apple Maps. Portland was one of the early cities because our transit agency (TriMet) is super involved in this sort of thing. We created the General Transit Feed Specification which is what every transit agency has to feed to Google to get into Google Maps.

 

[UnusedLoginID]

This kind of “news” should be in a digest, released every quarter at best, maybe even twice a year, and should include existing features rolled out to new cities or smaller countries.
That way MacRumors headlines would only show the “major” news rather than stuff affecting a tiny population of Apple customers and MacRumors readers.
As much as Milwaukee and Omaha are pretty large cities in the US, their population is a drop in Apple’s worldwide coverage.
By the way, same with the Beta software seeds, I am tired of flipping through 5 or 6 of them for every beta dot-release. Who cares, again expect for a small population of Apple users or MacRumors readers.
Know your audience, MacRumors!

 

[EdT]

Omaha only has bus transit. No subways or light rail. Except for a few isolated areas most areas of downtown are deserted when 6:00 pm rolls around. Exceptions would be the Old Market (restaurants, curio/specialty shops), the Holland Center and the Century Link Arena-concerts, and for 2 weeks the College World Series at TD Ameritrade stadium. Only the Old Market provides a year-round draw. Buses don’t run very often after rush hour anywhere.

Edit-There’s also the Henry Doorley Zoo, which is world class, but it closes at 5:00 PM except for special events.
[doublepost=1517264641][/doublepost]

Omaha has over 900,000 people in its metro population, and Milwaukee has 1.5 million. This sounds like an uneducated comment at best.

Omaha/Sarpy County probably has about 700,000. Council Bluffs, which is across the river in Iowa has the rest of the population for the metro.

 

[WarHeadz]

I legit forgot that Nebraska was even a place.

 

[dontwalkhand]

I’m a little disappointed that the data isn’t live. I still have to use my transit agencies app to get live data. I’m in Phoenix.

Also, the transit agency app will have the ability to buy passes right in the app (scannable barcode vs a magnetic stripe card now) which is nice. No more swipe cards!

 

[mercybelcher]

I hope they add Manila, Philippines for Apple Map Transit

 

[dilative]

After having worked in Milwaukee for a while, I can say that it would be wise not to whip out your Apple device on public transport.

My 8 year old daughter rides public transport in Milwaukee. You’ll be ok.

 

[eagleglen]

I

I’m a little disappointed that the data isn’t live. I still have to use my transit agencies app to get live data. I’m in Phoenix.

Also, the transit agency app will have the ability to buy passes right in the app (scannable barcode vs a magnetic stripe card now) which is nice. No more swipe cards!

I’m in Phoenix too. What app lets you buy a bus passes from within it?? No more swiping would be nice.

Also the app Transit gives real-time bus times, as well as Google, but Transit has a better UI, imo.

 

[atikalz]

Apple recently updated its Maps app to add transit directions and data for Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Omaha, Nebraska, two places where transit information was not previously available outside of Amtrak routes.

Apple Maps users in Milwaukee and Omaha can now select public transportation routes when getting directions between two locations, with bus lines available in both areas.

Apple has not yet added Milwaukee or Omaha to the website where it lists areas transit directions are available, but it's likely these two locations will be listed soon.

Transit directions were first added to Apple Maps in 2015 with the launch of iOS 9. Maps initially only offered transit information in a handful of cities, but over the course of the last three years, Apple has worked to expand the feature to additional areas.

Transit information is now live in dozens of cities and countries around the world, with a full list available on Apple's iOS 11 Feature Availability website.

(Thanks, Geoffrey!)

Article Link: Apple Maps Transit Directions Now Available in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Omaha, Nebraska

Just a short reminder: there is a world outside the US.

 

[smithrh]

My 8 year old daughter rides public transport in Milwaukee. You’ll be ok.

Hopefully not on the route shown in the screen grab....

I wonder if someone at Apple thought that Timmerman was the airport?

 

[EdT]

Just a short reminder: there is a world outside the US.

And there are a lot of cities inside the U.S. that aren't mapped. And from the listing, it looks like pretty much ALL of Japan, the Netherlands and most major cities in Taiwan have their transit systems added. Countries in Western Europe have at least 2 cities, usually the capital and the second largest. The people who can complain are Africa, South and Central America. India and Indo-China seem to be poorly represented as well. I don't see anything for either Russia or China but that may be totally political.

In short, it's a big wide world and although the US has more cities on the list we are also the 3rd largest country in the world by population, behind India and China, and also the third largest by physical size, with Russia and Canada being #1 and #2.

 

[robershow]

Dude China has been completely mapped since the start. Is just behind the Great Firewall of China so you can’t see it. Only locals can.

And there are a lot of cities inside the U.S. that aren't mapped. And from the listing, it looks like pretty much ALL of Japan, the Netherlands and most major cities in Taiwan have their transit systems added. Countries in Western Europe have at least 2 cities, usually the capital and the second largest. The people who can complain are Africa, South and Central America. India and Indo-China seem to be poorly represented as well. I don't see anything for either Russia or China but that may be totally political.

In short, it's a big wide world and although the US has more cities on the list we are also the 3rd largest country in the world by population, behind India and China, and also the third largest by physical size, with Russia and Canada being #1 and #2.

 

[alex2792]

They have buses in Nebraska? I thought it was still horse and buggy, you learn something new every day.

 

[redneckitengineer]

They have buses in Nebraska? I thought it was still horse and buggy, you learn something new every day.

The buses are tractors pulling a wagon with hay bales for seats... hahaha

 

[2010mini]

Just a short reminder: there is a world outside the US.

There is? I don’t believe it. Just like North Dakota, it doesn’t exist.

 

[alex2792]

The buses are tractors pulling a wagon with hay bales for seats... hahaha

Hay bales are perfect for hot and steamy cousin on cousin action.

 

[IMaMACnow]

This kind of “news” should be in a digest, released every quarter at best, maybe even twice a year, and should include existing features rolled out to new cities or smaller countries.

Inb4 mod deletes.

But yea. As apple innovations become few and far between these are the rumors we get.

 

[gavroche]

This kind of “news” should be in a digest, released every quarter at best, maybe even twice a year, and should include existing features rolled out to new cities or smaller countries.
That way MacRumors headlines would only show the “major” news rather than stuff affecting a tiny population of Apple customers and MacRumors readers.
As much as Milwaukee and Omaha are pretty large cities in the US, their population is a drop in Apple’s worldwide coverage.
By the way, same with the Beta software seeds, I am tired of flipping through 5 or 6 of them for every beta dot-release. Who cares, again expect for a small population of Apple users or MacRumors readers.
Know your audience, MacRumors!

If they listened to you and others that have quite a variety of complaints about various articles being included.... they would literally have like six articles a year. I for one am glad that people that know how to run a business are in charge. And as a rational adult, can choose to click on and read the articles I am interested in, and ignore those I not... as opposed to you all who think it's OK to force your personal preferences on the rest of us.

 

[grobik]

There's work on both Apple's part and that of the transit system that wants to get included. If an agency isn't willing to do that work then they're data isn't getting into Apple Maps. Portland was one of the early cities because our transit agency (TriMet) is super involved in this sort of thing. We created the General Transit Feed Specification which is what every transit agency has to feed to Google to get into Google Maps.

Yeah, I get it. But Google has had this for almost 12 years. You'd be hard pressed to find a city, especially in the u.s. that hasn't had transit via Google for at least 5 years. The groundwork has been laid. It just seems like it's low priority for Apple. Demographics, user base. Who knows. Maybe it's just one developer sitting at a Mac mini crunching away at transit data all day...