Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

One thing that won't come standard with the new iPhone: transit directions.

WalkScore is launching a campaign to preserve transit directions as a standard feature in Apple products.

Yesterday Apple announced details for iOS 6, the new operating system for iPad and iPhone, and it looks like transit directions will be casualties of the company's decision to drop Google Maps as its default map application. The new, Apple-developed map application will include driving directions and walking directions, but no transit information, at least not standard. Instead, if you want to figure out how to get somewhere without driving, users will have to download a third-party application.

In response, WalkScore today launched a campaign to have the transit feature restored, asking supporters to tweet Apple directly. "We believe that having built-in transit directions on your phone helps public transit work better for everyone," the company says on its petition site.

Apparently the change stems from competition between Apple and Google, which, until recently, was gaining on Apple's share of the mobile OS market. The iPhone maker is in the process of weeding out Google apps from its devices, according to David Herron, reporting for the Examiner:

Even so this is a big step backwards for pedestrians and transit users, because it forces those people to first know they have to acquire a third party application, then find and install the best one, and finally perhaps pay for this support. By contrast today's iOS users have excellent pedestrian and public transit support in the Google Maps application.

Apple has sold more than 180 million iPhones since the product debuted in 2007.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Breaking: House Moves to Rescind $3.1B for Reconnecting Communities Divided by Highways

The House Transportation Committee wants to slash funding for one of America's most critical equity-focused grant programs — unless advocates speak out and get them to reverse course.

April 29, 2025

Op-Ed: What Amtrak Privatization Advocates Miss

Americans overwhelmingly want modern passenger trains operating on a system that connects cities efficiently, reliably, and faster than a car. This writer argues that privatizing Amtrak won't get us there.

April 29, 2025

This Parking Bill Could Help Solve the Housing Crisis

Washington state just passed a package of reforms that could juice housing production and get landlords to give non-drivers a break on their rent. But will other states go even further?

April 29, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Stand Up for Transit

Transit needs investment, not defunding, Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib writes in The Hill.

April 29, 2025

First New Yorker To Get A Subsidized E-Bike: ‘It’s Perfect’

Meet the first person in the Empire state to get a subsidised e-bike!

April 28, 2025
See all posts