Use Waze and ditch the Google Maps app

[jameshetfield]

Do yourself a favor and enable Waze to be your default map app (for Android users, you can change this in Settings > Navigation Provider). Super informative let alone I've noticed a bunch of my passengers love talking about it. Much more interactive and user friendly than Google Maps.

 

[endeliz]

I had seen that app I did enable it. I will be using it later on today.

 

[bigdog101]

How does it deal with lower wackier dr? My gps loses position all the time. My ford gps must use direction and speed to figure out were I am.

 

[Chicago-uber]

How does it deal with lower wackier dr? My gps loses position all the time. My ford gps must use direction and speed to figure out were I am.

No GPS will work on lower wacker. Learn the area before going there.

As a matter of fact, GPS will act funny in entire downtown area. Learn the streets and the numbers. It's not that complicated.

 

[S_hicago]

I agree with everything he said about Waze.

It's also more willing to push the envelope to get you out of traffic. Threw me down a bunch of sides streets (which cabbies seem to know about naturally, it was just me and them)... but man did I get the hell out of dodge really fast!

It's also true about lower wacker and the city. GPS needs a "view" of the sky to work. It's a very passive one-way system, like a really weak radio. That's why anyone can use it for free. The satellites just send out a really weak timestamp. The device uses the timestamps from a couple satellites (whose positions are known) to triangulate your position. So it needs to be able to "see" three or four satellites.

Nothing more than high tech celestial navigation like they used to do on boats in medieval times. Be happy that a view of the sky is the only requirement left. Otherwise you'd have to whip out your sextant and try to remember your trigonometry.

 

[pizza guy]

Any learning curve transitioning to Waze? I had turn by turn pax using Waze today and it was pretty good about taking side streets, but it missed a couple of street closures.

 

[Oh My]

How does it deal with lower wackier dr? My gps loses position all the time. My ford gps must use direction and speed to figure out were I am.

None of those GPS systems work in downtown areas (Chicago anyway). Ubers can't find the Trump Tower as it assumes you're under ground.

I can only speak for Chicago but depending on where they want to go, there are 3 (maybe more) different ways to get there and one isn't any better or more efficient than the other. Traffic and roadblocks are unpredictable as well.

Evanston? Oh, you want me to follow YOUR GPS and go down Howard Street at 1am? Well, I'm NOT! Are you paying to repair the bullet holes in my doors? No? Then STFU Ms. Chatahootchie, Iowa transplant.

Bottom line: If they don't advise of their preferred route upfront (assuming it logical and doesn't include cutting through alleys, parking lots and turf wars)........then sit down, STFU and enjoy the ride. Other option is to take the bus at the same price and argue with the @@@@ing bus driver. She'll kick your ass out just like I did the @@@@@ downtown that thought she was going to commandeer my vehicle with her "Waze", changing her mind 3 times which way she wanted to go while enroute. She was left under the El tracks at State/Lake with instructions to call another driver. Her response of "Wha, wha, what did I say?" was priceless.

Lotsa New Members here.

 

[S_hicago]

Waze is much faster to figure out street closures than any other app, since enough people can report a temporary closure right in the app.. By the time one of the big companies gets around to checking their email the closure will be open.

My biggest hint for using Waze is to look at the destination address yourself (in Uber before switching). Especially if it uses the word "alley". "In X feet turn down alley". Do the last two blocks yourself.

It's usually trying to get you to come down the pax's one-way street from the correct direction. You do need to do that, but I'd turn down a logical side-street to do so... unless you are comfortable taking pax down allies.

It also has an annoying habit of thinking the address is in an ally, or a nearby street. Especially if the pax's apartment is off the street. Google did the same thing though. I blame Uber. I bet they send longitude and latitude coords instead of the street address. Never happened for an address I typed in myself. Again, memorize the address they gave (or at least the street) before switching to the app.

Lastly Waze is very "busy" with icons. It has icons for police that people reported, other Waze drivers, red light camera, speed cameras, closed streets, construction zones, 7-11 stores (or whomever they partnered with for money that week)... if your brain can't filter information, you will not like Waze. (maybe you can filter them in the app, I don't know)

 

[GHz]

I dislike Waze. Is too cluttered and wonky for me. It crashes frequently on me, and noticed it takes me to alleys. I'll stick to Google Maps.

 

[S_hicago]

Yea, lots of people say that. You either love it or hate it. (though haven't heard about crashes).

My final tip to PizzaGuy would be to just use it for a couple days in a non-pressure situation like driving to work or on your own errands. See if you like it.

 

[Don Oldenburg]

How does it deal with lower wackier dr? My gps loses position all the time. My ford gps must use direction and speed to figure out were I am.

I LOVE LOWER WACKER -- Best kept secret among the locals it seems... LOL. I used to work a 1 N. Wacker (the new building that went up in 2000 or 2002 ish... I think it's the UBS building now. Anyway -- I had parking in the building accessible from lower wacker. Would love the speed you could get through the loop once you got under ground. LOL ;-)

As for you GPS -- I think your Shyt outta luck if you need GPS under there... No way for satellite signal to penetrate there... Hopefully you know where your going to pop up and give your system a moment to reacquire when you surface.