Google adds ‘drunk train’ feature to maps

Google has added a so-called “drunk train” feature to its maps app to help guard against late night revellers missing their last train home and getting stranded on a platform.

As reported by Betabeat, a Google representative confirmed yesterday its ‘last home train feature’, dubbed the “drunk train” by the technology news site, although that wasn’t Google’s preferred name.

The feature will apparently sift through public transit schedules, much like its current system, but will flag up the last possible time a user need to leave the party before risking missing their last route home.

The practical feature will undoubtedly be welcomed by the world’s legions of night owls, prone to getting carried away on a night out, who would rather wake up in a warm bed than risk a four-hour wait on a cold platform, or uncomfortable night spent bunking on a mate’s floor.

The “last” option, as described by Google, was made available earlier this month on iOS and Android and factors in walking time alongside subway, buses, and train times.