Google Maps will alert you if the VTC or taxi driver does not use the optimal route

Google Maps will alert you if the VTC or taxi driver does not use the optimal route, because there are drivers who try to pull some kind of scam. That said, it is important to tell whether a change of route is due to an accident or a temporary road closure, or simply because the driver wants to make a few extra bucks. You should not always assume the worst.

Can Google Maps be a good radar detector? The tech giant has wanted to go further and, just as it recently published an update informing drivers of possible fixed speed cameras along their routes, some sources now claim it could be developing an alert that will warn users when the driver does not take the fastest route.

The latest Google Maps novelty and, according to the specialist forum XDA Developers, the Silicon Valley tech giant would trigger an alert on the passenger’s smartphone if the hired vehicle has deviated from the route. As we have said, this should be taken with a pinch of salt, since some drivers, working on the street, know possible shortcuts or alternative routes due to road closures, important events or even accidents.

An alert that reports a change of route

Google’s novelty that reports a possible change to the route, for now, will only be available in India, but some reports say that as soon as a vehicle with a driver deviates more than 500 metres from the fastest route, the smartphone will issue an alert.

Some sources point out that this new feature may be useful to avoid possible scams, since some drivers may take one route or another. It is true that, depending on the driver, passengers ask why a certain route is preferred. Of course, there are also the opposite cases, where drivers may end up “ripping you off”.

This alert becomes far more important in countries where smuggling and kidnapping still exist. Through this new technology, the authorities could be notified and even intercept the vehicle much more quickly.

As mentioned above, this novelty adds to the one already introduced, which informs users of the different positions of road speed cameras. The aim of this novelty is to reduce the speed of vehicles.

These two new functions are not the only ones Google Maps has been implementing over time. Other important ones are traffic jam alerts, alternative routes and even parking search