Google Maps To Display Warning When Your Taxi Goes Off-Route

Google wants to make public transport safer for people and is therefore adding a new feature that will display a warning if your cab steers off its route.

As spotted by XDA Developers, the feature is only available in India at the moment. Hidden under the “Stay Safer” menu, “Off-route alerts” will alert you if your driver is taking a longer route towards your destination.

The feature will appear after you’ve entered your destination and before choosing the navigation mode. There could be many reasons for the driver to take an alternate route like congestion on the recommended road, construction work on the road or a shortcut that the driver is aware of.

However, displaying a warning is a step towards safety. Besides safety, the option would also be helpful in cases where drivers intentionally take the longer route to charge more money from the passengers who are traveling in an unfamiliar city.

It is not clear whether the feature will be available worldwide or not as it is only available in India presently. This is not the first feature added by Google by keeping safety in mind. Earlier this week, the search giant added a feature that will show detailed information about public transport and a speedometer feature has also recently been added to Google Maps.

Indian users, have you used this latest “off-route alerts” feature? Tell us about your experience.

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