Last month, Google announced it had integrated transit information for more than 500 cities worldwide into its Google Maps mobile application, offering millions of riders instant directions and schedules through their smartphones and tablets. Here are directions to access the information in a useful way. To see if transit information for your city or transit agency is included, check this list provided by the company.

  • 1. Turn on the Transit Layer. Click on the Layers icon -- the second square icon from the right on the top, showing three rectangles placed atop one another -- and choose "Transit" or "Transit lines."

  • 2. Locate the transit stop from which you will be departing. If the stop is near your current location, click the top right icon, which resembles a bull's-eye, for Google Maps to target you using GPS (your mobile device's GPS capabilities must be turned on). Otherwise, search for the general location of the stop by clicking in the search box and typing an intersection or station name. The station will appear as a squarish dot or the logo of a specific transit agency.

  • 3. Click on the station icon to display the name of the station if it did not automatically appear after your search. Click on the box displaying the name to see all the transit lines that service the station, along with scheduled departure times in each direction.

  • 4. For
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    specific directions to a destination, click the "Directions" icon near the top of the screen, the middle of three icons that includes an arrow. Type your destination in the box provided, and choose from the suggestions in the drop-down menu. Ensure that the "Transit" icon is depressed -- it is the second icon from the left, with a picture of a bus (other options include driving, walking and biking directions). Click "Get directions" in the lower right corner. Choose from the trip options provided by clicking on them, which will give you more in-depth directions for each option.

    These directions were created using Google Maps for Android version 6.10.0 on a Motorola Droid 2 Global running Android version 2.3.4.