Regarding directions, I find Apple Maps more accurate in the time to destination and the UI much more pleasing.
At least for transit, the UI is middling at best and downright confusing at times. For example, taking a bus or subway only shows you the origin and destination stops (with the route and stops in a secondary view), while every other app prominently shows you the approaching stop and how many stops left to the destination. Once you get off the bus/subway and need walking directions, Apple Maps does not switch, something many transit first apps will do.
For me, the app with the best UI for public transport is hands down the Transit app. It's also the only app I've seen that will ask to confirm which bus you boarded if different buses approached your stop at the same time. Plus, the app will update transfer options based on your ETA.
UI/UX aside, for route planning with public transport Citymapper is still the best.
I should probably try one of those apps, since Google and Apple certainly don't "get" public transit. Like when I'm going somewhere and need to change trains, I really just need to know the frequency of each service, not get fixated on an exact time as if I'm buying airplane tickets.
Google Maps certainly does "get" public transit. It's absolutely fantastic in Tokyo, telling you all the available routes, how long they'll take, how much they'll cost you, what platform to stand on, what station exit to take, which train car to board for most efficient transfer, what time the train will come exactly, etc. I don't need the frequency of trains, I need the exact time it comes, because that is when the train will arrive. And if I get delayed by stopping in a shop in the station, it's no big deal since the next train will arrive within 5 minutes anyway.
Here in NYC, Google Maps does absolutely none of these. It doesn't offer price, or which train car to board for efficient transfers - both of these are only offered in the Citymapper app. All the apps do offer when the next train will arrive, but most will not offer alternate line trains on the fly if you were to stop over at a shop, for example. The Transit app does offer alternate lines on the fly, but only if it was one of the initial alternatives for that sector.
Citymapper is also the only app that handles train or bus disruptions somewhat gracefully - I've had both Google and Apple maps offer routes on trains that were currently not running.
Aren't all train tickets the same price in NYC? In Tokyo, there's a bunch of different train companies, and every fare is different depending on the company, where you're going, if you're doing a transfer, etc.
>or which train car to board for efficient transfers
Because it would be useless: in America, there's absolutely no concept of a train stopping at the same place in a station every time. There could be a half-train-length difference between where one train stops, and where the next train stops on the same tracks in the same station, because the operators are so sloppy. Here in Tokyo, they stop at the exact same place every time: there's automated doors on the platform that have to line up with the train doors in many stations, and specific places to stand marked on the platform with markings for which car number will be there.
Subway trains, yes, but not the commuter rail. Plus, while on the subway network one transfer to and from the bus network is free, your route might require you to make multiple transfers that are not free. In addition, there are also cross borough express buses that are more expensive. Citymapper is the only app that shows total prices alongside the route options.
in America, there's absolutely no concept of a train stopping at the same place in a station every time. There could be a half-train-length difference between where one train stops, and where the next train stops on the same tracks in the same station, because the operators are so sloppy.
Not the case at all. The NYC subway conductors are required to manually point to "Zebra Boards" aligned with the center of the platform at every single stop - a practice that originated in Japan. Some stations also need platform gap fillers to be extended when the train arrives, which also requires trains to stop at very specific points at the platform. NYC subway platforms also have markings to stand for where the train door will be.
This is all to say that it is indeed possible to know which train car to board for efficient transfer or exit. Google Maps only provides information on which exit or entrance to use at the station, but nothing about the platform itself. Citymapper tells you that the best location to board the train is towards the back, for example.
>I think that if Facebook did just provide phonebook-like functionality I would be so interested in using it. Instead, it feels more like an application(s) built to serve ads that happens to provide some phonebook functionality.
Interesting, I guess I didn't notice this last time I was in NYC.
In DC (where I lived for years until recently), this stuff just isn't the case at all. There's no way to predict where the operator will stop the train, and it can be many car-lengths different from operator to operator.
At least for transit, the UI is middling at best and downright confusing at times. For example, taking a bus or subway only shows you the origin and destination stops (with the route and stops in a secondary view), while every other app prominently shows you the approaching stop and how many stops left to the destination. Once you get off the bus/subway and need walking directions, Apple Maps does not switch, something many transit first apps will do.
For me, the app with the best UI for public transport is hands down the Transit app. It's also the only app I've seen that will ask to confirm which bus you boarded if different buses approached your stop at the same time. Plus, the app will update transfer options based on your ETA.
UI/UX aside, for route planning with public transport Citymapper is still the best.