Monday, January 04, 2010

London Buses on Google Maps

On a Bus

On a Bus is a Google Maps mashup of London bus routes. To use the site just enter a London bus number and On a Bus will show the bus's route using Google Maps (try '1' if you are not familiar with London Bus numbers).

The bus route is shown on the map with a polyline and all the bus-stops on the route are indicated with map markers. If you click on any of the map markers on the route nearby points of interest are displayed in the side-panel.

If you click on one of the displayed points of interest its location is shown on the map with a map marker. Clicking on the marker will reveal the Wikipedia entry for that location.

Via: @osbournec

What Bus?

In London the buses are free for under-18s, those over 60 and for wheelchair users. However knowing which bus to catch to get to your destination can often be tricky. Transport for London provide bus maps in PDF format but don't provide an online interactive map. Which is where What Bus? comes in.

What Bus? is a Google Maps mashup of all the London bus lines. It is possible to search the map by postcode or by just panning the map. The bus routes are shown on the map by coloured polylines. Clicking on any of the bus routes will take you to an individual route just for that line.

London Bus iPhone Application
This iPhone application shows the nearest bus-stops in London using augmented reality.

Using the application it is possible to find nearby points of interest, wi-fi zones and cafes on a Google Map. It is also possible to locate the nearest stations from your position on a Google Map within the application. Each station is represented by a red pin, a popup shows you the distance of localisation for each station, and it is updated live via GPS as you walk.

The eye-grabbing feature however is the augmented reality view that lets you find the nearest bus-stops and POI's.

London Tube Journey Planner
The London Tube Journey Planner tool lets you plan your underground journey in London. However it also covers 350 London bus routes and 1265 bus stops.

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