London Transit riders will soon be able to take it easy when planning a trip around the ­Forest City, thanks to the integration of LTC bus routes with Google Maps.

Once in place, the feature will allow riders to map out their route from Point A to Point B via public transit on the Google ­website, rather than resorting to confusing bus schedules and transfer points.

Riders also will be able to receive timely arrival and ­departure information to help determine the length of their trip.

The mapping feature can’t come soon enough for some LTC riders, who’ve been lobbying the commission for it.

“I think the service is much overdue,” said Kevin Skoblenick, a PhD student at Western who rides the bus every day.

“Any excuse provided by the LTC seems weak, since cities both larger and smaller than us have integrated this service long ago. If they can do it, why can’t we?”

LTC commissioners first requested the integration of public transit routes with tech giant Google three years ago, LTC chairperson Eric Southern said.

But with a one-person IT department and higher priorities, the digital move was put on the back burner — until now, he said.

The LTC says on its website that it’s awaiting preliminary implementation for testing and validation before finalizing an agreement with Google and going live. If all goes well, the LTC hopes to see the integration completed by this summer.

Although many riders are familiar with routes they regularly use, navigating a new route can be time consuming.

Patrick Breach has ridden the 2B Dundas route every weekday for the past eight years, first to high school, then to university.

“I know a fair amount about the LTC system, but not too long ago I needed to help my dad find out what buses he needed to take to get to his doctor’s appointment — it took almost half an hour of planning.”

Breach added this service, while important to him, would be even more important for people new to the city.

Amanda Stratton, founder of LTC Bus People, a citizen-led organization that supports the use of public transit in London, echoed Breach’s sentiment, ­noting that between Western University and Fanshawe ­College, many residents were new to the city.

“We have a lot of people here who really probably couldn’t find their way across the city if they were driving, much less ­navigating using bus schedules.”

Southern, too, sees the service as being primarily useful for ­London’s student population.

“Students are especially ­technology savvy and are heavy transit users, and therefore would make a great deal of use of the system.”

Putting transit systems on the map

Other Ontario cities with Google Map-integrated transit include:

Brampton

Guelph

Hamilton

Kingston

Mississauga

Niagara Falls

North Bay

Oakville

Orillia

Ottawa

Sarnia

Sault Ste. Marie

Thunder Bay

Toronto