Yandex Maps Adds Turn-by-Turn Guidance for Public Transport
Users no longer have to figure out where to get off – the Yandex Maps app now guides passengers throughout their journey on public transport.
Yandex Maps has launched a new generation of navigation for public transport users. The service does more than plan routes, guiding users in real time: it provides voice instructions on how to reach a stop, which vehicle to board, where to transfer, and when to exit. The feature is designed for travel on metro systems, buses, commuter trains, and river transport.
The new mode works like in-car navigation. The app determines the user’s current position and aligns it with the route to track trip progress and deliver timely prompts. You can track the trip status at any time, including in the background and on the lock screen, according to Yandex Maps.
To start a journey, users simply enter a destination, choose a route, and tap “Go.” In areas with weak signal, accuracy may decrease, but the route remains accessible: users can review it and manually switch between stages if needed. Route details can also be reviewed in advance to choose the most suitable option.
Where Is This Heading?
This is not a minor update but a shift toward step-by-step navigation for public transport. For users in Russia, this means less stress during trips, especially for tourists, older passengers, and those who rarely use city transport. At the city level, it makes public transport more appealing to users – the easier the journey, the more likely people are to choose it over private cars.
Although exporting the feature directly is challenging, as it depends heavily on local data and conditions, the underlying technology has international potential in the form of B2B solutions, including mapping APIs, real-time navigation algorithms, and tools for smart city and mobility-as-a-service platforms.
Within Russia, the potential is broader. Next steps include route personalization, integration with fare payment, alerts about disruptions and congestion, and navigation within major transport hubs. Yandex Maps is already developing pedestrian and cycling navigation, indoor navigation, combined scenarios such as “taxi + MCD,” and “comfort” winter routes that take heated stops into account.
How Navigation Has Evolved
The evolution of transport navigation in Russia has been gradual. In 2024, Yandex Maps updated pedestrian and cycling navigation, adding elevation changes, data on stairs and bike lanes, and automatic map perspective adjustments. This was followed by routes that account for heated stops in colder regions and combined routes such as “taxi + MCD,” which laid the foundation for multimodal routing.
Global competitors are also advancing. In 2021, Google Maps introduced detailed indoor navigation for stations in Sydney. In 2023, Apple Maps expanded public transport features by enabling transit card integration within the app. In spring 2024, Google Maps began suggesting public transport options alongside driving routes.
Outlook for the Next Few Years
The new functionality in Yandex Maps marks the next stage in the evolution of Russian digital platforms. The service is evolving from a route planner into a digital companion for urban travel, combining geospatial data, transport data, and real-time analytics. The app stays easy to use despite the added features.
Over the next one to two years, development will likely focus on three main areas: personalization of routes based on user context, multimodality – seamless combination of different transport modes and walking segments – and deeper integration with urban infrastructure, including fare payment, data on congestion, accessibility, and service disruptions.
Russian digital mapping is entering a phase of “guided services.” This goes beyond passenger convenience and represents a step toward broader digital transformation of urban mobility in Russia.
