Thursday, 28 November 2024
Thursday, 28 November 2024
Three men on their way from Noida to Faridpur in Bareilly to attend a wedding died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge early last Sunday.
According to police quoted by news agency PTI, the driver was led by Google Maps into taking the unsafe route on the Bareilly-Budaun border.
An official was quoted as saying that earlier this year, floods caused the front of the bridge to collapse but the change had not been updated in the system. The bridge reportedly had no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach.
The Telegraph Online spoke to a few regular drivers, home-delivery executives and app-based cab operators, all regular users of Google Maps, about their experiences with the app.
They all said the ghost in the machine can lead to serious inconveniences.
‘The shortcut that led to a jungle’
Jyotsna Gupta, 39, corporate employee who works in an agency from New Delhi, shared an incident where Google Maps suggested a shortcut to Aaramgarh in Gurugram.
"The incident happened on 31st January while I was traveling to Aaramgarh, M3M in Gurugram, Haryana. I was alone, and Google Maps led into a road marked as ‘unnamed’and then further into what turned out to be a jungle.
“The road was desolate, with no signboards or proper directions,” he said. “Being alone and in an isolated area made the experience extremely daunting. After much backtracking and searching, I finally managed to get back on the correct route. This incident not only delayed my journey but also left me shaken.”
‘Narrow roads and wedding woes’
Rucha Bakre, 31, from Hyderabad, shared how Google Maps caused her significant embarrassment during a wedding shopping. "We were supposed to reach a nearby jewellery store. We knew it was in the same area but didn't know the exact location. We turned on the map and it took us through tiny, narrow roads instead of guiding us through the main road.
The shopping was for a wedding, and we were from the groom's side. The bride's family arrived early, even though they were coming from an hour's distance. We, on the other hand, took half an hour to cover a distance of just five minutes."
‘Dead ends and heavy fines’
Kolkata’s first Swiggy delivery woman, Rupa Chowdhury, 37, said that Google Maps errors impact her work.
"There is an urgent need to update Google Maps, because the roads that it shows are often dead ends. Sometimes, I have noticed full buildings on those roads. I have also faced issues like I have entered a one-way road and exiting from there is next to impossible. Sometimes I am riding and then I find a pond in front of me. Owing to this I have delivered parcels to customers quite late, but because of this I have also got online police cases.
“As we are riders the whole responsibility for this is ours – neither of Google Maps nor of the company that I work for. I paid Rs 1,000 fine because of this twice."
‘Longer routes, backdoor confusion’
Sriman Mishra, 46, an Ola driver from Kolkata, shared about inefficiencies in the app’s navigation: "Google Maps sometimes shows the backside of the location instead of the front side. At times while I am riding on the Bypass it shows a longer route to reach the location even if shortcuts are available.”
‘Blocked roads, and cancellations’
Goutam Ghosh, 46, who drives for Indrive, said he faced frequent issues with Google Maps in Bengal.
“Using Google Maps I keep finding myself at a dead end, like after reaching halfway I see there is no road and it is blocked. There have also been issues where I have found a pond instead of a road while using the map, this happened when I was driving in Medinipur. While driving in Kolkata there have been instances where it has shown directions where even a cycle cannot enter but it is suggesting the route for a four-wheeler. Because of these I have faced cancellations in bookings as customers either get another ride or get late.”
