A tie up by Spin, the micromobility business of Ford and Google Maps, means Google Maps users are now able to see, in real-time, the nearest available Spin e-bike or e-scooter in 84 towns, cities and campuses in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Spain.
The information offered includes how long it will take to walk to the vehicle, as well as estimated battery range and expected arrival time. Users will then be directed to the Spin app to pay for the vehicle, unlock it and take their ride.
The integration is designed to bring wider public awareness of Spin’s vehicle availability and point people towards a more sustainable option for short journeys in urban areas.
“With this integration, Spin is making it easier for hundreds of millions of Google Maps users to easily incorporate shared bikes and scooters into their daily trips,” commented Ben Bear, CEO of Spin.
“Our goal is to make it as low friction as possible for consumers to plan multi-modal journeys. It needs to be just as easy, and even more convenient to get around with bikes, buses, trains and scooters as it is with a personal car. This collaboration with Google is our biggest platform integration yet with many more in the pipeline.”
Spin says micromobility is continuing to gain traction and is becoming a mainstream transportation solution, particularly for those living in urban areas or campuses. As e-scooters and e-bikes are being increasingly built into journey-planning platforms, residents and visitors can more easily take a multimodal approach to the way they get around cities.
This latest integration follows Spin’s recent addition into a number of global and regional journey planning platforms such as CityMapper, Moovit, Transit app and Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe (KVB).
