Google Maps + Uber + ??

Sup? 

Classic DC scenario: You went to a concert. It’s over. Time to head home. You didn’t drive (responsible move, good work). So, what’s the plan? 

Option one: brave public transportation with the masses. The herd of people heading for the subway reminds you of the stampede that killed Mufasa. Thank you, next... 

Maybe an Uber or Lyft? You fire up the apps and see the dreaded “surge” icon (2x normal fares). Nope. 

What's your next move? Your hunter-gatherer instincts kick-in and you start to walk. You continue your quest for a cheap ride home.

Now imagine you could open the Google Maps app and see, using an AR visualization, how far you have to walk to hail a ride-share or hit public transit (or, perhaps, satisfy late night munchies)? Why is this better? Because you don’t have to try to drop pins on different locations and play the “what-if” game. You and your crew don’t have time for that. 

A week ago, Google Maps took a big step towards making this first-world problem disappear. 

Last summer, they, they showed off a pretty slick demo about what Google Maps would look like layered with AR. AR and GPS are like peanut butter and jelly: made for each other. And, bonus: -this a use case is “safe” for the masses. 

And just last week, Google announced the integration of AR into Google Maps. It's available to a limited set of users, but expect a wider roll-out in the coming years. 

This Google Maps/AR romance could also provide an opportunity for competitors to (re)enter the fray. Remember TomTom? It’s still around. Last month, it sold its telematics and fleet management business to Bridgestone Tires... for $1 billion. 

This freed them to focus on competing with Alphabet for car owners’ dashboards and serving Apple Maps (groan) with data. Launching AR is a strategic choice for them, generally, but layering in smart transit would help them compete for the next major mapping interface. 

 Are my thoughts going in the right direction, or am I all over the map?