How the Transit app beat Apple and Google at making the best looking transit maps

Transit vs Apple Maps vs Google Maps

A few months back, a Twitter follower of mine asked me which app would be best for them to use if they were visiting New York. My immediate answer? Transit. As a New Yorker, I try my best to not use a map if I don't have to, but every once in a while the situation calls for it. And where do I turn to most? Transit. I always liked that the app because it gave me public transportation routes for every single mode possible. For NYC, it didn't just focus on trains, it also suggests ride-share apps, commuter rail, and Citibike. That's a big deal when sometimes taking the Subway and a bus might take longer.

The designers behind the Transit app just posted something on Medium detailing their painstaking work to create an algorithm that makes beautiful maps which is also part of the draw of using the app. It's just nice to look at. Google Maps is already pretty great, but Transit is just one step ahead of it. You can thank smooth curves for that. Read up about it here.