Google Maps is currently experimenting with a feature that will provide you with additional alternatives for getting around.
Changes to Google Maps’ user interface may make it simpler to choose your chosen mode of transportation.
On the basis of pictures given to 9to5Google from the newest beta (v11.28), the new transit choices and a new version of the Maps UI have been tested before.
New features include a floating panel above the map and improvements to the transit tab at the bottom of the map. It seems that the tab now allows you to more easily eliminate specific modes of transportation, which in turn affects what Maps displays. It’s possible to keep the option to use public transportation unchecked if you don’t possess a vehicle, and the transport tab would not provide any driving alternatives.
Changing your chosen mode of transportation via Google Maps is already feasible, but the procedure is quite cumbersome. You’ll need to go to Settings > Google Assistant > Account > Preferences > Transportation to make this change. There are too many steps involved, and it only works with requests through Google Assistant, which reduces its usefulness to half.
You’ll save time and effort by configuring your preferences directly in the Google Maps app, but the changes will be applied to all future Google Maps navigation, at the very least.
For some reason, even people having the most recent beta version of Google Maps can’t use this new function. That said, if you’re one of the fortunate few who can use it, it can be found in the Trip Options menu, just among the options for avoiding tolls, motorways, and ferries.
Additional transportation alternatives are shown in the screenshot: driving, walking, train, bus, cycling, ride-hailing services (such as Uber and Lyft), and bike/scooter sharing services are included.
For now, it’s unclear whether the new UI and transit choices will be sent out to all Google Maps beta testers, including me, any time soon or at all.
At the very least, I’m hoping it does, in order to assist users in decluttering and customising their Google Maps experience. In the meanwhile, our Google Maps tips & tricks article might help you improve your skills with Google Maps.