Saudi Arabia: Qiddiya City integrates transport network with Google Maps to improve travel planning

 

Qiddiya City and Google Maps join hands to facilitate travel planning

Qiddiya Investment Company has joined the Google Transit partner program, paving the way for Qiddiya City’s transport services and major destinations to be integrated into Google Maps.

The partnership is designed to provide visitors with a more seamless and connected travel experience by offering journey-planning information from the moment they begin organizing their visit to Qiddiya City, which is being developed as the world’s first city “Powered by Play,” bringing together entertainment, sports, culture, residential communities, offices, hotels and retail destinations.

Through the Google Maps integration, visitors searching for Qiddiya City attractions — including Six Flags Qiddiya City, Aquarabia, the Middle East’s largest waterpark, and Park and Ride 1 — will be directed to the appropriate arrival and interchange points. The service will also support journey planning for the upcoming Sir Nick Faldo-designed 18-hole Championship Golf Course.

The partnership will additionally make routes and timetables for the Qiddiya City Bus available as public transport options on Google Maps. The service includes an intercity electric bus connection between Qiddiya City and Riyadh Metro stations in Olaya and on Jeddah Road.

Visitors will therefore be able to incorporate Qiddiya City Bus services into integrated public transport journeys, including connections with the Riyadh Metro and other available transportation options.

 

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As Qiddiya City moves toward operating a full fleet of electric buses serving both its city network and Park and Ride facilities, its Intelligent Transport Systems infrastructure is expected to provide increasingly detailed real-time information. This will include vehicle locations, estimated arrival times, schedule adherence and occupancy levels, enabling visitors to make more informed travel decisions.

Qiddiya Investment Company Chief Technology Officer Abdulrahman AlAli said the integration reflects the company’s focus on creating seamless experiences through technology.

“As the world’s first city Powered by Play, Qiddiya City is designed around seamless experiences, and technology is a critical enabler of that vision,” AlAli said. “By integrating our transport network with Google Transit, we are bringing together real-time data, digital innovation, and customer-centric design to make travel to and within Qiddiya City simpler, smarter, and more connected.”

Chief of Transport at Qiddiya Investment Company Rodd Staples said accessibility and ease of navigation are central to the city’s development.

“Making Qiddiya City easy to reach and effortless to navigate is fundamental to the experience we are creating,” Staples said. “Our integration with Google Transit will connect customers with clear, accurate and increasingly real-time journey information from the moment they begin planning their visit.”

Sarah-Jayne Williams, Geo Product Partnerships Director at Google, said the company looks forward to supporting Qiddiya City’s expanding public transport network through Google Maps.

“Google Maps helps people understand their transport options and navigate their journeys with confidence,” Williams said. “We look forward to working with Qiddiya Investment Company to bring information about Qiddiya City’s growing public transport network to Google Maps and make journey planning easier for visitors.”

The onboarding process was supported by Artefact, which worked with Qiddiya Investment Company to standardize the city’s transit schedule data into the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), an open global standard for sharing public transport routes, stops and schedules with third-party platforms.

Artefact also published the GTFS feed through the Transit portal and conducted quality assurance in coordination with Google and Qiddiya Investment Company.

 

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Christelle Salame, Managing Partner and Global Lead for Real Estate and Small Cities at Artefact, described the integration as a significant milestone in the company’s strategic partnership with Qiddiya Investment Company, particularly through collaboration with its Data & AI Office.

The Google Transit integration forms part of Qiddiya City’s broader connected-mobility strategy, which combines digital journey planning, public transport, Park and Ride facilities and real-time customer information.

The initiative will be rolled out progressively as Qiddiya City’s transport services and destinations become operational, further integrating the city into the wider Riyadh transportation network.

Source: SPA