14 DAY TRIAL // The 2012 Olympic Games kicked off in London last night, and Microsoft is making sure that those attending will be able to easily find their way around the town.
The company has announced enhancements brought to its Bing Maps service, providing travelers around London with the possibility to enjoy expanded coverage for transit directions.
The improvement comes as the result of a partnership with TheTrainline.com and includes the addition of routes from thirty one train lines to the Bing Maps, to complement the already available London Underground and bus routes.
Joel Reiff, Bing maps routing program manager, Microsoft, explains in a blog post that these enhancements were not made for London alone, but that users across the UK will be able to take advantage of them as well.
“For example, if you want to travel sans auto from London to Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to watch the Great Britain vs. Cameroon women’s football match on 28/7, just visit Bing Maps, type ‘London to Millennium Stadium’ in the search box, then click the transit icon,” he notes.
“Next, choose ‘Arrive by’ and select 28/7/2012, then set the time to 15:15 and hit ‘Go’. Any of the three routes displayed will get you to the venue with over two hours to spare!”
With Bing Maps, users should be able to find their way around the UK during the Olympic Games more easily, yet the capability is not restricted to using the service on a desktop PC.
Earlier this week, Microsoft announced the availability of a Bing Get Me There application for the owners of Apple iPhone handsets, following the availability of the same application for Windows Phone handsets since early 2012.
With traffic and geocoding powered by Nokia, Bing Maps should be able to prove a great companion for those visiting London and the UK in the coming weeks.
