It's taken a few years, but it appears as though Sudbury Transit users can now use Google Trip Planner to make taking the bus a lot easier.

It's taken a few years, but it appears as though Sudbury Transit users can now use Google Trip Planner to make taking the bus a lot easier.



While city officials say they are still waiting for final approvals from Google before making an announcement, a quick check of Google Maps now offers the transit option, in addition to taking a car or walking.



Clicking on the bus icon on Google Maps and entering your current location and where you want to go will tell you when the next bus leaves, which stop is closest to your current location and what time you can expect to arrive at your destination, assuming traffic is normal.



As it stands now, Transit users have to know where the nearest bus stop is, as well as the route number for that stop. Then they have to figure out from online route maps which buses cover their stop, and how often.



And if it's one of the days Transit is operating on a reduced schedule, users also have to figure out if the route is still serviced on that day, and what the schedule for the day is.

While other apps have made figuring out where to catch the bus and when easier, the Google planner is user-friendly and offers real-time information.



The trip planner has been in use for years in other cities like North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay, but bringing it to Greater Sudbury has been a slow process. Transit director Roger Sauvé said last year it was almost ready in late 2013, but a staff route planner quit before the launch, delaying the process.



More recently, the delay has been waiting for Google to integrate the city's transit system into its system, a process that is now complete. An official announcement is expected as soon as Google completes the approvals process.