Search engine provider Google has announced it is to roll out its Transit service in the Southern Hemisphere.The application, which enables users to plan a trip using public transport, was originally launched in December 2005 and is already running in a number of cities across the US, Canada, Europe and Japan.
It allows travellers to calculate their route, transit time and cost, as well as giving them the option to compare the trip to one using a car.
In a new development, the application is set to be released in the Australian city of Perth. According to Google, it will be available in the area "within weeks".
Speaking at the Sydney Opera House, Alan Noble, Google Australia and New Zealand's head of engineering, stated: "It's very, very convenient. We've taken public transportation information - which is sometimes quite difficult for mere mortals to understand - and made this very easy to use on Google Maps," The Age reports.
He added: "What we have is all this information - transit information, driving directions, business listings - and put it in one immediate location."
According to Mr Noble, Google is "looking forward" to making Transit available to all cities in Australia "as soon as possible".
Meanwhile, Mark Burgess, the executive director of Perth's public transport service providers Transperth, stated that the organisation was eager to provide Google with the necessary information for Google Transit, as the application would help to improve transport services.
