DENVER — (BUSINESS WIRE) — February 10, 2011 — MapQuest, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL), today launched a pedestrian routing mode on MapQuest.com making walking directions more direct than ever. Additionally, a new rail transit option links the pedestrian mode with public rail transportation routing in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Boston, reaching roughly 90 percent of the nation’s rail ridership.*
With more U.S. individuals now residing in urban settings rather than suburban or rural**, there is an even greater need to provide relevant information and routing to MapQuest’s growing city contingency: The new nationwide pedestrian mode allows walking travelers to be routed down one-way streets, pedestrian malls, through parks and along designated paths; while the new transit routing option provides departure and arrival information, helpful hints to alert train passengers, and station search information in designated cities.
“MapQuest is in the business of getting people where they need to go,” said Christian Dwyer, senior vice president and general manager, MapQuest. “We are excited to launch both the nationwide pedestrian mode and the new transit routing option on MapQuest.com to reach urban commuters who rely on alternative modes of transportation.”
On average, some 14.7 million people*** use metro public rail options in the six launch cities:
- New York
- Washington D.C.
- Chicago
- Boston
- San Francisco Bay
- Philadelphia
“The new MapQuest routing options for walking directions and transit can work separately or together to meet customers’ preferences,” said Ann Koerner, director of consumer products, MapQuest. “MapQuest has always listened to our customer needs. The pedestrian mode and rail transit option are a direct response to one of the top requested features from our customers, and help us continue to be the trusted source for all types of maps and directions.”
On average, MapQuest receives more than 1 million inquiries for directions each day. The new pedestrian routing and rail transit option add layers of environmentally conscious features to MapQuest’s growing suite of world-class routing solutions.
MapQuest worked with San Francisco-based, geospatial data and mapping company, Urban Mapping, to develop its transit option, and has plans for additional city content is 2011.
* American Public Transportation Association
** U.S. Census Bureau, 2009
*** American Public Transportation Association
About MapQuest
MapQuest provides Internet, mobile, and business solutions delivering on the promise of helping people research and discover: where is it, how I get there and what’s nearby. MapQuest is one of the leading mapping brands online, offering maps and directions, and reaching more than 44 million users in January 2011, according to comScore Media Metrix. MapQuest’s mobile solutions are compatible with a variety of mobile devices, including iPhone and BlackBerry devices. MapQuest, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Inc., is based in Denver, Colo.
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