Directions Service

Overview

You can calculate directions (using a variety of methods of transportation) by using the DirectionsService object. This object communicates with the Google Maps API Directions Service which receives direction requests and returns an efficient path. Travel time is the primary factor which is optimized, but other factors such as distance, number of turns and many more may be taken into account. You may either handle these directions results yourself or use the DirectionsRenderer object to render these results.

When specifying the origin or destination in a directions request, you can specify a query string (for example, "Chicago, IL" or "Darwin, NSW, Australia"), a LatLng value, or a Place object.

The Directions service can return multi-part directions using a series of waypoints. Directions are displayed as a polyline drawing the route on a map, or additionally as a series of textual description within a <div> element (for example, "Turn right onto the Williamsburg Bridge ramp").

Getting started

Before using the Directions service in the Maps JavaScript API, first ensure that the Directions API is enabled in the Google Cloud console, in the same project you set up for the Maps JavaScript API.

To view your list of enabled APIs:

  1. Go to the Google Cloud console.
  2. Click the Select a project button, then select the same project you set up for the Maps JavaScript API and click Open.
  3. From the list of APIs on the Dashboard, look for Directions API.
  4. If you see the API in the list, you’re all set. If the API is not listed, enable it:
    1. At the top of the page, select ENABLE API to display the Library tab. Alternatively, from the left side menu, select Library.
    2. Search for Directions API, then select it from the results list.
    3. Select ENABLE. When the process finishes, Directions API appears in the list of APIs on the Dashboard.

Pricing and policies

Pricing

Effective July 16, 2018, a new pay-as-you-go pricing plan went into effect for Maps, Routes, and Places. To learn more about the new pricing and usage limits for your use of the JavaScript Directions service, see Usage and Billing for the Directions API.

Policies

Use of the Directions service must be in accordance with the policies described for the Directions API.

Directions Requests

Accessing the Directions service is asynchronous, since the Google Maps API needs to make a call to an external server. For that reason, you need to pass a callback method to execute upon completion of the request. This callback method should process the result(s). Note that the Directions service may return more than one possible itinerary as an array of separate routes[].

To use directions in the Maps JavaScript API, create an object of type DirectionsService and call DirectionsService.route() to initiate a request to the Directions service, passing it a DirectionsRequest object literal containing the input terms and a callback method to execute upon receipt of the response.

The DirectionsRequest object literal contains the following fields:

{
  origin: LatLng | String | google.maps.Place,
  destination: LatLng | String | google.maps.Place,
  travelMode: TravelMode,
  transitOptions: TransitOptions,
  drivingOptions: DrivingOptions,
  unitSystem: UnitSystem,
  waypoints[]: DirectionsWaypoint,
  optimizeWaypoints: Boolean,
  provideRouteAlternatives: Boolean,
  avoidFerries: Boolean,
  avoidHighways: Boolean,
  avoidTolls: Boolean,
  region: String
}

These fields are explained below:

  • origin (required) specifies the start location from which to calculate directions. This value may be specified as a String (for example, "Chicago, IL"), as a LatLng value or as a Place object. If you use a Place object, you can specify a place ID, a query string or a LatLng location. You can retrieve place IDs from the Geocoding, Place Search and Place Autocomplete services in the Maps JavaScript API. For an example using place IDs from Place Autocomplete, see Place Autocomplete and Directions.
  • destination (required) specifies the end location to which to calculate directions. The options are the same as for the origin field described above.
  • travelMode (required) specifies what mode of transport to use when calculating directions. Valid values are specified in Travel Modes below.
  • transitOptions (optional) specifies values that apply only to requests where travelMode is TRANSIT. Valid values are described in Transit Options, below.
  • drivingOptions (optional) specifies values that apply only to requests where travelMode is DRIVING. Valid values are described in Driving Options, below.

  • unitSystem (optional) specifies what unit system to use when displaying results. Valid values are specified in Unit Systems below.

  • waypoints[] (optional) specifies an array of DirectionsWaypoints. Waypoints alter a route by routing it through the specified location(s). A waypoint is specified as an object literal with fields shown below:

    • location specifies the location of the waypoint, as a LatLng, as a Place object or as a String which will be geocoded.
    • stopover is a boolean which indicates that the waypoint is a stop on the route, which has the effect of splitting the route into two routes.

    (For more information on waypoints, see Using Waypoints in Routes below.)

  • optimizeWaypoints (optional) specifies that the route using the supplied waypoints may be optimized by rearranging the waypoints in a more efficient order. If true, the Directions service will return the reordered waypoints in a waypoint_order field.(For more information, see Using Waypoints in Routes below.)
  • provideRouteAlternatives (optional) when set to true specifies that the Directions service may provide more than one route alternative in the response. Note that providing route alternatives may increase the response time from the server. This is only available for requests without intermediate waypoints.
  • avoidFerries (optional) when set to true indicates that the calculated route(s) should avoid ferries, if possible.
  • avoidHighways (optional) when set to true indicates that the calculated route(s) should avoid major highways, if possible.
  • avoidTolls (optional) when set to true indicates that the calculated route(s) should avoid toll roads, if possible.
  • region (optional) specifies the region code, specified as a ccTLD ("top-level domain") two-character value. (For more information see Region Biasing below.)

Below is a sample DirectionsRequest:

{
  origin: 'Chicago, IL',
  destination: 'Los Angeles, CA',
  waypoints: [
    {
      location: 'Joplin, MO',
      stopover: false
    },{
      location: 'Oklahoma City, OK',
      stopover: true
    }],
  provideRouteAlternatives: false,
  travelMode: 'DRIVING',
  drivingOptions: {
    departureTime: new Date(/* now, or future date */),
    trafficModel: 'pessimistic'
  },
  unitSystem: google.maps.UnitSystem.IMPERIAL
}

Travel Modes

When you calculate directions, you need to specify which transportation mode to use. The following travel modes are currently supported:

  • DRIVING (Default) indicates standard driving directions using the road network.
  • BICYCLING requests bicycling directions via bicycle paths & preferred streets.
  • TRANSIT requests directions via public transit routes.
  • WALKING requests walking directions via pedestrian paths & sidewalks.

Consult the Google Maps Platform Coverage Details to determine to what extent a country supports directions. If you request directions for a region in which that direction type is not available, the response will return the DirectionsStatus="ZERO_RESULTS".

Note: Walking directions may not include clear pedestrian paths, so walking directions will return warnings in the DirectionsResult. These warnings must always be displayed to the user. If you do not use the default DirectionsRenderer then you are responsible for ensuring the warnings are displayed.

Transit Options

The available options for a directions request vary between travel modes. When requesting transit directions, the avoidHighways, avoidTolls, waypoints[] and optimizeWaypoints options will be ignored. You can specify transit specific routing options through the TransitOptions object literal.

Transit directions are time sensitive. Directions will only be returned for times in the future.

The TransitOptions object literal contains the following fields:

{
  arrivalTime: Date,
  departureTime: Date,
  modes[]: TransitMode,
  routingPreference: TransitRoutePreference
}

These fields are explained below:

  • arrivalTime (optional) specifies the desired time of arrival as a Date object. If arrival time is specified, departure time is ignored.
  • departureTime (optional) specifies the desired time of departure as a Date object. The departureTime will be ignored if arrivalTime is specified. Defaults to now (that is, the current time) if no value is specified for either departureTime or arrivalTime.
  • modes[] (optional) is an array containing one or more TransitMode object literals. This field may only be included if the request includes an API key. Each TransitMode specifies a preferred mode of transit. The following values are permitted:
    • BUS indicates that the calculated route should prefer travel by bus.
    • RAIL indicates that the calculated route should prefer travel by train, tram, light rail, and subway.
    • SUBWAY indicates that the calculated route should prefer travel by subway.
    • TRAIN indicates that the calculated route should prefer travel by train.
    • TRAM indicates that the calculated route should prefer travel by tram and light rail.
  • routingPreference (optional) specifies preferences for transit routes. Using this option, you can bias the options returned, rather than accepting the default best route chosen by the API. This field may only be specified if the request includes an API key. The following values are permitted:
    • FEWER_TRANSFERS indicates that the calculated route should prefer a limited number of transfers.
    • LESS_WALKING indicates that the calculated route should prefer limited amounts of walking.

A sample DirectionsRequest by transit is shown below:

{
  origin: 'Hoboken NJ',
  destination: 'Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn',
  travelMode: 'TRANSIT',
  transitOptions: {
    departureTime: new Date(1337675679473),
    modes: ['BUS'],
    routingPreference: 'FEWER_TRANSFERS'
  },
  unitSystem: google.maps.UnitSystem.IMPERIAL
}

Driving Options

You can specify routing options for driving directions through the DrivingOptions object.

The DrivingOptions object contains the following fields:

{
  departureTime: Date,
  trafficModel: TrafficModel
}

These fields are explained below:

  • departureTime (required for the drivingOptions object literal to be valid) specifies the desired time of departure as a Date object. The value must be set to the current time or some time in the future. It cannot be in the past. (The API converts all dates to UTC to ensure consistent handling across time zones.) For Google Maps Platform Premium Plan customers, if you include the departureTime in the request, the API returns the best route given the expected traffic conditions at the time, and includes the predicted time in traffic (duration_in_traffic) in the response. If you don't specify a departure time (that is, if the request does not include drivingOptions), the returned route is a generally good route without taking traffic conditions into account.
  • trafficModel (optional) specifies the assumptions to use when calculating time in traffic. This setting affects the value returned in the duration_in_traffic field in the response, which contains the predicted time in traffic based on historical averages. Defaults to bestguess. The following values are permitted:
    • bestguess (default) indicates that the returned duration_in_traffic should be the best estimate of travel time given what is known about both historical traffic conditions and live traffic. Live traffic becomes more important the closer the departureTime is to now.
    • pessimistic indicates that the returned duration_in_traffic should be longer than the actual travel time on most days, though occasional days with particularly bad traffic conditions may exceed this value.
    • optimistic indicates that the returned duration_in_traffic should be shorter than the actual travel time on most days, though occasional days with particularly good traffic conditions may be faster than this value.

Below is a sample DirectionsRequest for driving directions:

{
  origin: 'Chicago, IL',
  destination: 'Los Angeles, CA',
  travelMode: 'DRIVING',
  drivingOptions: {
    departureTime: new Date(Date.now() + N),  // for the time N milliseconds from now.
    trafficModel: 'optimistic'
  }
}

Unit Systems

By default, directions are calculated and displayed using the unit system of the origin's country or region. (Note: Origins expressed using latitude/longitude coordinates rather than addresses always default to metric units.) For example, a route from "Chicago, IL" to "Toronto, ONT" will display results in miles, while the reverse route will display results in kilometers. You can override this unit system by setting one explicitly within the request using one of the following UnitSystem values:

  • UnitSystem.METRIC specifies usage of the metric system. Distances are shown using kilometers.
  • UnitSystem.IMPERIAL specifies usage of the Imperial (English) system. Distances are shown using miles.

Note: This unit system setting only affects the text displayed to the user. The directions result also contains distance values, not shown to the user, which are always expressed in meters.

Region Biasing for Directions

The Google Maps API Directions Service returns address results influenced by the domain (region or country) from which you loaded the JavaScript bootstrap. (Since most users load https://maps.googleapis.com/ this sets an implicit domain to the United States.) If you load the bootstrap from a different supported domain, you will get results influenced by that domain. For example, searches for "San Francisco" may return different results from applications loading https://maps.googleapis.com/ (the United States) than one loading http://maps.google.es/ (Spain).

You can also set the Directions service to return results biased to a particular region using the region parameter. This parameter takes a region code, specified as a two-character (non-numeric) Unicode region subtag. In most cases, these tags map directly to ccTLD ("top-level domain") two-character values such as "uk" in "co.uk" for example. In some cases, the region tag also supports ISO-3166-1 codes, which sometimes differ from ccTLD values ("GB" for "Great Britain" for example).

When using the region parameter:

  • Specify only one country or region. Multiple values are ignored, and could result in a failed request.
  • Use only two-character region subtags (Unicode CLDR format). All other inputs will result in errors.

Region biasing is supported only for the countries and regions supporting directions. Consult Google Maps Platform Coverage Details to see international coverage for the Directions API.

Rendering Directions

Initiating a directions request to the DirectionsService with the route() method requires passing a callback which executes upon completion of the service request. This callback will return a DirectionsResult and a DirectionsStatus code in the response.

Status of Directions Query

The DirectionsStatus may return the following values:

  • OK indicates the response contains a valid DirectionsResult.
  • NOT_FOUND indicates at least one of the locations specified in the request's origin, destination, or waypoints could not be geocoded.
  • ZERO_RESULTS indicates no route could be found between the origin and destination.
  • MAX_WAYPOINTS_EXCEEDED indicates that too many DirectionsWaypoint fields were provided in the DirectionsRequest. See the section below on limits for way points.
  • MAX_ROUTE_LENGTH_EXCEEDED indicates the requested route is too long and cannot be processed. This error occurs when more complex directions are returned. Try reducing the number of waypoints, turns, or instructions.
  • INVALID_REQUEST indicates that the provided DirectionsRequest was invalid. The most common causes of this error code are requests that are missing either an origin or destination, or a transit request that includes waypoints.
  • OVER_QUERY_LIMIT indicates the webpage has sent too many requests within the allowed time period.
  • REQUEST_DENIED indicates the webpage is not allowed to use the directions service.
  • UNKNOWN_ERROR indicates a directions request could not be processed due to a server error. The request may succeed if you try again.

You should ensure that the directions query returned valid results by checking this value before processing the result.

Displaying the DirectionsResult

The DirectionsResult contains the result of the directions query, which you may either handle yourself, or pass to a DirectionsRenderer object, which can automatically handle displaying the result on a map.

To display a DirectionsResult using a DirectionsRenderer, you need to do the following:

  1. Create a DirectionsRenderer object.
  2. Call setMap() on the renderer to bind it to the passed map.
  3. Call setDirections() on the renderer, passing it the DirectionsResult as noted above. Because the renderer is an MVCObject, it will automatically detect any changes to its properties and update the map when its associated directions have changed.

The following example calculates directions between two locations on Route 66, where the origin and destination are set by the given "start" and "end" values in the dropdown lists. The DirectionsRenderer handles display of the polyline between the indicated locations, and the placement of markers at the origin, destination, and any waypoints, if applicable.

function initMap() {
  var directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();
  var directionsRenderer = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer();
  var chicago = new google.maps.LatLng(41.850033, -87.6500523);
  var mapOptions = {
    zoom:7,
    center: chicago
  }
  var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'), mapOptions);
  directionsRenderer.setMap(map);
}

function calcRoute() {
  var start = document.getElementById('start').value;
  var end = document.getElementById('end').value;
  var request = {
    origin: start,
    destination: end,
    travelMode: 'DRIVING'
  };
  directionsService.route(request, function(result, status) {
    if (status == 'OK') {
      directionsRenderer.setDirections(result);
    }
  });
}

In the HTML body:

<div>
<strong>Start: </strong>
<select id="start" onchange="calcRoute();">
  <option value="chicago, il">Chicago</option>
  <option value="st louis, mo">St Louis</option>
  <option value="joplin, mo">Joplin, MO</option>
  <option value="oklahoma city, ok">Oklahoma City</option>
  <option value="amarillo, tx">Amarillo</option>
  <option value="gallup, nm">Gallup, NM</option>
  <option value="flagstaff, az">Flagstaff, AZ</option>
  <option value="winona, az">Winona</option>
  <option value="kingman, az">Kingman</option>
  <option value="barstow, ca">Barstow</option>
  <option value="san bernardino, ca">San Bernardino</option>
  <option value="los angeles, ca">Los Angeles</option>
</select>
<strong>End: </strong>
<select id="end" onchange="calcRoute();">
  <option value="chicago, il">Chicago</option>
  <option value="st louis, mo">St Louis</option>
  <option value="joplin, mo">Joplin, MO</option>
  <option value="oklahoma city, ok">Oklahoma City</option>
  <option value="amarillo, tx">Amarillo</option>
  <option value="gallup, nm">Gallup, NM</option>
  <option value="flagstaff, az">Flagstaff, AZ</option>
  <option value="winona, az">Winona</option>
  <option value="kingman, az">Kingman</option>
  <option value="barstow, ca">Barstow</option>
  <option value="san bernardino, ca">San Bernardino</option>
  <option value="los angeles, ca">Los Angeles</option>
</select>
</div>

View example

The following example shows directions using different modes of travel between the Haight-Ashbury to Ocean Beach in San Francisco, CA:

function initMap() {
  var directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();
  var directionsRenderer = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer();
  var haight = new google.maps.LatLng(37.7699298, -122.4469157);
  var oceanBeach = new google.maps.LatLng(37.7683909618184, -122.51089453697205);
  var mapOptions = {
    zoom: 14,
    center: haight
  }
  var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'), mapOptions);
  directionsRenderer.setMap(map);
}

function calcRoute() {
  var selectedMode = document.getElementById('mode').value;
  var request = {
      origin: haight,
      destination: oceanBeach,
      // Note that JavaScript allows us to access the constant
      // using square brackets and a string value as its
      // "property."
      travelMode: google.maps.TravelMode[selectedMode]
  };
  directionsService.route(request, function(response, status) {
    if (status == 'OK') {
      directionsRenderer.setDirections(response);
    }
  });
}

In the HTML body:

<div>
<strong>Mode of Travel: </strong>
<select id="mode" onchange="calcRoute();">
  <option value="DRIVING">Driving</option>
  <option value="WALKING">Walking</option>
  <option value="BICYCLING">Bicycling</option>
  <option value="TRANSIT">Transit</option>
</select>
</div>

View example

A DirectionsRenderer not only handles display of the polyline and any associated markers, but also can handle the textual display of directions as a series of steps. To do so, call setPanel() on your DirectionsRenderer, passing it the <div> in which to display this information. Doing so also ensures that you display the appropriate copyright information, and any warnings which may be associated with the result.

Textual directions will be provided using the browser's preferred language setting, or the language specified when loading the API JavaScript using the language parameter. (For more information, see Localization.) In the case of transit directions, the time will be displayed in the time zone at that transit stop.

The following example is identical to that shown above, but includes a <div> panel in which to display directions:

function initMap() {
  var directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();
  var directionsRenderer = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer();
  var chicago = new google.maps.LatLng(41.850033, -87.6500523);
  var mapOptions = {
    zoom:7,
    center: chicago
  }
  var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'), mapOptions);
  directionsRenderer.setMap(map);
  directionsRenderer.setPanel(document.getElementById('directionsPanel'));
}

function calcRoute() {
  var start = document.getElementById('start').value;
  var end = document.getElementById('end').value;
  var request = {
    origin:start,
    destination:end,
    travelMode: 'DRIVING'
  };
  directionsService.route(request, function(response, status) {
    if (status == 'OK') {
      directionsRenderer.setDirections(response);
    }
  });
}

In the HTML body:

<div id="map" style="float:left;width:70%;height:100%"></div>
<div id="directionsPanel" style="float:right;width:30%;height:100%"></div>

View example

The DirectionsResult Object

When sending a directions request to the DirectionsService, you receive a response consisting of a status code, and a result, which is a DirectionsResult object. The DirectionsResult is an object literal with the following fields:

  • geocoded_waypoints[] contains an array of DirectionsGeocodedWaypoint objects, each one containing details about the geocoding of origin, destination and waypoints.
  • routes[] contains an array of DirectionsRoute objects. Each route indicates a way to get from the origin to the destination provided in the DirectionsRequest. Generally, only one route is returned for any given request, unless the request's provideRouteAlternatives field is set to true, in which, multiple routes may be returned.

Note: The via_waypoint property is deprecated in alternative routes. Version 3.27 is the last version of the API that adds extra via waypoints in alternative routes. For versions 3.28 and higher of the API, you can continue to implement draggable directions using the Directions service by disabling the dragging of alternative routes. Only the main route should be draggable. Users can drag the main route until it matches an alternative route.

Directions Geocoded Waypoints

A DirectionsGeocodedWaypoint contains details about the geocoding of origin, destination and waypoints.

The DirectionsGeocodedWaypoint is an object literal with the following fields:

  • geocoder_status indicates the status code resulting from the geocoding operation. This field may contain the following values.
    • "OK" indicates that no errors occurred; the address was successfully parsed and at least one geocode was returned.
    • "ZERO_RESULTS" indicates that the geocode was successful but returned no results. This may occur if the geocoder was passed a non-existent address.

  • partial_match indicates that the geocoder did not return an exact match for the original request, though it was able to match part of the requested address. You may wish to examine the original request for misspellings and/or an incomplete address.

    Partial matches most often occur for street addresses that do not exist within the locality you pass in the request. Partial matches may also be returned when a request matches two or more locations in the same locality. For example, "Hillpar St, Bristol, UK" will return a partial match for both Henry Street and Henrietta Street. Note that if a request includes a misspelled address component, the geocoding service may suggest an alternative address. Suggestions triggered in this way will also be marked as a partial match.

  • place_idis a unique identifier of a place, which can be used with other Google APIs. For example, you can use the place_id with the Google Places API library to get details of a local business, such as phone number, opening hours, user reviews, and more. See the place ID overview.
  • types[] is an array indicating the type of the returned result. This array contains a set of zero or more tags identifying the type of feature returned in the result. For example, a geocode of "Chicago" returns "locality" which indicates that "Chicago" is a city, and also returns "political" which indicates it is a political entity.

Directions Routes

Note: The legacy DirectionsTrip object has been renamed DirectionsRoute. Note that a route now refers to the entire start to end journey, rather than simply a leg of a parent trip.

A DirectionsRoute contains a single result from the specified origin and destination. This route may consist of one or more legs (of type DirectionsLeg) depending on whether any waypoints were specified. As well, the route also contains copyright and warning information which must be displayed to the user in addition to the routing information.

The DirectionsRoute is an object literal with the following fields:

  • legs[] contains an array of DirectionsLeg objects, each of which contains information about a leg of the route, from two locations within the given route. A separate leg will be present for each waypoint or destination specified. (A route with no waypoints will contain exactly one DirectionsLeg.) Each leg consists of a series of DirectionSteps.
  • waypoint_order contains an array indicating the order of any waypoints in the calculated route. This array may contain an altered order if the DirectionsRequest was passed optimizeWaypoints: true.
  • overview_path contains an array of LatLngs that represent an approximate (smoothed) path of the resulting directions.
  • overview_polyline contains a single points object that holds an encoded polyline representation of the route. This polyline is an approximate (smoothed) path of the resulting directions.
  • bounds contains a LatLngBounds indicating the bounds of the polyline along this given route.
  • copyrights contains the copyrights text to be displayed for this route.
  • warnings[] contains an array of warnings to be displayed when showing these directions. If you do not use the provided DirectionsRenderer object, you must handle and display these warnings yourself.
  • fare contains the total fare (that is, the total ticket costs) on this route. This property is only returned for transit requests and only for routes where fare information is available for all transit legs. The information includes:
    • currency: An ISO 4217 currency code indicating the currency that the amount is expressed in.
    • value: The total fare amount, in the currency specified above.

Directions Legs

Note: The legacy DirectionsRoute object has been renamed DirectionsLeg.

A DirectionsLeg defines a single leg of a journey from the origin to the destination in the calculated route. For routes that contain no waypoints, the route will consist of a single "leg," but for routes that define one or more waypoints, the route will consist of one or more legs, corresponding to the specific legs of the journey.

The DirectionsLeg is an object literal with the following fields:

  • steps[] contains an array of DirectionsStep objects denoting information about each separate step of the leg of the journey.

  • distance indicates the total distance covered by this leg, as a Distance object of the following form:

    • value indicates the distance in meters
    • text contains a string representation of the distance, which by default is displayed in units as used at the origin. (For example, miles will be used for any origin within the United States.) You may override this unit system by specifically setting a UnitSystem in the original query. Note that regardless of what unit system you use, the distance.value field always contains a value expressed in meters.

    These fields may be undefined if the distance is unknown.

  • duration indicates the total duration of this leg, as a Duration object of the following form:

    • value indicates the duration in seconds.
    • text contains a string representation of the duration.

    These fields may be undefined if the duration is unknown.

  • duration_in_traffic indicates the total duration of this leg, taking into account current traffic conditions. The duration_in_traffic is returned only if all of the following are true:

    • The request does not include stopover waypoints. That is, it doesn't include waypoints where stopover is true.
    • The request is specifically for driving directions—the mode is set to driving.
    • The departureTime is included as part of the drivingOptions field in the request.
    • Traffic conditions are available for the requested route.

    The duration_in_traffic contains the following fields:

    • value indicates the duration in seconds.
    • text contains a human-readable representation of the duration.
  • arrival_time contains the estimated time of arrival for this leg. This property is only returned for transit directions. The result is returned as a Time object with three properties:
    • value the time specified as a JavaScript Date object.
    • text the time specified as a string. The time is displayed in the time zone of the transit stop.
    • time_zone contains the time zone of this station. The value is the name of the time zone as defined in the IANA Time Zone Database, e.g. "America/New_York".
  • departure_time contains the estimated time of departure for this leg, specified as a Time object. The departure_time is only available for transit directions.
  • start_location contains the LatLng of the origin of this leg. Because the Directions Web Service calculates directions between locations by using the nearest transportation option (usually a road) at the start and end points, start_location may be different than the provided origin of this leg if, for example, a road is not near the origin.
  • end_location contains the LatLng of the destination of this leg. Because the DirectionsService calculates directions between locations by using the nearest transportation option (usually a road) at the start and end points, end_location may be different than the provided destination of this leg if, for example, a road is not near the destination.
  • start_address contains the human-readable address (typically a street address) of the start of this leg.

    This content is meant to be read as-is. Do not programmatically parse the formatted address.
  • end_address contains the human-readable address (typically a street address) of the end of this leg.

    This content is meant to be read as-is. Do not programmatically parse the formatted address.

Directions Steps

A DirectionsStep is the most atomic unit of a direction's route, containing a single step describing a specific, single instruction on the journey. E.g. "Turn left at W. 4th St." The step not only describes the instruction but also contains distance and duration information relating to how this step relates to the following step. For example, a step denoted as "Merge onto I-80 West" may contain a duration of "37 miles" and "40 minutes," indicating that the next step is 37 miles/40 minutes from this step.

When using the Directions service to search for transit directions, the steps array will include additional Transit Specific Information in the form of a transit object. If the directions include multiple modes of transportation, detailed directions will be provided for walking or driving steps in a steps[] array. For example, a walking step will include directions from the start and end locations: "Walk to Innes Ave & Fitch St". That step will include detailed walking directions for that route in the steps[] array, such as: "Head north-west", "Turn left onto Arelious Walker", and "Turn left onto Innes Ave".

The DirectionsStep is an object literal with the following fields:

  • instructions contains instructions for this step within a text string.
  • distance contains the distance covered by this step until the next step, as a Distance object. (See the description in DirectionsLeg above.) This field may be undefined if the distance is unknown.
  • duration contains an estimate of the time required to perform the step, until the next step, as a Duration object. (See the description in DirectionsLeg above.) This field may be undefined if the duration is unknown.
  • start_location contains the geocoded LatLng of the starting point of this step.
  • end_location contains the LatLng of the ending point of this step.
  • polyline contains a single points object that holds an encoded polyline representation of the step. This polyline is an approximate (smoothed) path of the step.
  • steps[] a DirectionsStep object literal that contains detailed directions for walking or driving steps in transit directions. Sub-steps are only available for transit directions.
  • travel_mode contains the TravelMode used in this step. Transit directions may include a combination of walking and transit directions.
  • path contains an array of LatLngs describing the course of this step.
  • transit contains transit specific information, such as the arrival and departure times, and the name of the transit line.

Transit Specific Information

Transit directions return additional information that is not relevant for other modes of transportation. These additional properties are exposed through the TransitDetails object, returned as a property of DirectionsStep. From the TransitDetails object you can access additional information for the TransitStop, TransitLine, TransitAgency, and VehicleType objects as described below.

Transit Details

The TransitDetails object exposes the following properties:

  • arrival_stop contains a TransitStop object representing the arrival station/stop with the following properties:
    • name the name of the transit station/stop. eg. "Union Square".
    • location the location of the transit station/stop, represented as a LatLng.
  • departure_stop contains a TransitStop object representing the departure station/stop.
  • arrival_time contains the arrival time, specified as a Time object with three properties:
    • value the time specified as a JavaScript Date object.
    • text the time specified as a string. The time is displayed in the time zone of the transit stop.
    • time_zone contains the time zone of this station. The value is the name of the time zone as defined in the IANA Time Zone Database, e.g. "America/New_York".
  • departure_time contains the departure time, specified as a Time object.
  • headsign specifies the direction in which to travel on this line, as it is marked on the vehicle or at the departure stop. This will often be the terminus station.
  • headway when available, this specifies the expected number of seconds between departures from the same stop at this time. For example, with a headway value of 600, you would expect a ten minute wait if you should miss your bus.
  • line contains a TransitLine object literal that contains information about the transit line used in this step. The TransitLine provides the name and operator of the line, along with other properties described in the TransitLine reference documentation.
  • num_stops contains the number of stops in this step. Includes the arrival stop, but not the departure stop. For example, if your directions involve leaving from Stop A, passing through stops B and C, and arriving at stop D, num_stops will return 3.

Transit Line

The TransitLine object exposes the following properties:

  • name contains the full name of this transit line. eg. "7 Avenue Express" or "14th St Crosstown".
  • short_name contains the short name of this transit line. This will normally be a line number, such as "2" or "M14".
  • agencies is an array containing a single TransitAgency object. The TransitAgency object provides information about the operator of this line, including the following properties:
    • name contains the name of the transit agency.
    • phone contains the phone number of the transit agency.
    • url contains the URL for the transit agency.

    Note: If you are rendering transit directions manually instead of using the DirectionsRenderer object, you must display the names and URLs of the transit agencies servicing the trip results.

  • url contains a URL for this transit line as provided by the transit agency.
  • icon contains a URL for the icon associated with this line. Most cities will use generic icons that vary by the type of vehicle. Some transit lines, such as the New York subway system, have icons specific to that line.
  • color contains the color commonly used in signage for this transit. The color will be specified as a hex string such as: #FF0033.
  • text_color contains the color of text commonly used for signage of this line. The color will be specified as a hex string.
  • vehicle contains a Vehicle object that includes the following properties:
    • name contains the name of the vehicle on this line. eg. "Subway."
    • type contains the type of vehicle used on this line. See the Vehicle Type documentation for a complete list of supported values.
    • icon contains a URL for the icon commonly associated with this vehicle type.
    • local_icon contains the URL for the icon associated with this vehicle type, based on the local transport signage.

Vehicle Type

The VehicleType object exposes the following properties:

Value Definition
VehicleType.RAIL Rail.
VehicleType.METRO_RAIL Light rail transit.
VehicleType.SUBWAY Underground light rail.
VehicleType.TRAM Above ground light rail.
VehicleType.MONORAIL Monorail.
VehicleType.HEAVY_RAIL Heavy rail.
VehicleType.COMMUTER_TRAIN Commuter rail.
VehicleType.HIGH_SPEED_TRAIN High speed train.
VehicleType.BUS Bus.
VehicleType.INTERCITY_BUS Intercity bus.
VehicleType.TROLLEYBUS Trolleybus.
VehicleType.SHARE_TAXI Share taxi is a kind of bus with the ability to drop off and pick up passengers anywhere on its route.
VehicleType.FERRY Ferry.
VehicleType.CABLE_CAR A vehicle that operates on a cable, usually on the ground. Aerial cable cars may be of the type VehicleType.GONDOLA_LIFT.
VehicleType.GONDOLA_LIFT An aerial cable car.
VehicleType.FUNICULAR A vehicle that is pulled up a steep incline by a cable. A Funicular typically consists of two cars, with each car acting as a counterweight for the other.
VehicleType.OTHER All other vehicles will return this type.

Inspecting DirectionsResults

The DirectionsResults components — DirectionsRoute, DirectionsLeg, DirectionsStep and TransitDetails — may be inspected and used when parsing any directions response.

Important: If you are rendering transit directions manually instead of using the DirectionsRenderer object, you must display the names and URLs of the transit agencies servicing the trip results.

The following example plots walking directions to certain tourist attractions in New York City. We inspect the route's DirectionsStep to add markers for each step, and attach information to an InfoWindow with instructional text for that step.

Note: Since we are calculating walking directions, we also display any warnings to the user in a separate <div> panel.

var map;
var directionsRenderer;
var directionsService;
var stepDisplay;
var markerArray = [];

function initMap() {
  // Instantiate a directions service.
  directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();

  // Create a map and center it on Manhattan.
  var manhattan = new google.maps.LatLng(40.7711329, -73.9741874);
  var mapOptions = {
    zoom: 13,
    center: manhattan
  }
  map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'), mapOptions);

  // Create a renderer for directions and bind it to the map.
  var rendererOptions = {
    map: map
  }
  directionsRenderer = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer(rendererOptions)

  // Instantiate an info window to hold step text.
  stepDisplay = new google.maps.InfoWindow();
}

function calcRoute() {

  // First, clear out any existing markerArray
  // from previous calculations.
  for (i = 0; i < markerArray.length; i++) {
    markerArray[i].setMap(null);
  }

  // Retrieve the start and end locations and create
  // a DirectionsRequest using WALKING directions.
  var start = document.getElementById('start').value;
  var end = document.getElementById('end').value;
  var request = {
      origin: start,
      destination: end,
      travelMode: 'WALKING'
  };

  // Route the directions and pass the response to a
  // function to create markers for each step.
  directionsService.route(request, function(response, status) {
    if (status == "OK") {
      var warnings = document.getElementById("warnings_panel");
      warnings.innerHTML = "" + response.routes[0].warnings + "";
      directionsRenderer.setDirections(response);
      showSteps(response);
    }
  });
}

function showSteps(directionResult) {
  // For each step, place a marker, and add the text to the marker's
  // info window. Also attach the marker to an array so we
  // can keep track of it and remove it when calculating new
  // routes.
  var myRoute = directionResult.routes[0].legs[0];

  for (var i = 0; i < myRoute.steps.length; i++) {
      var marker = new google.maps.Marker({
        position: myRoute.steps[i].start_point,
        map: map
      });
      attachInstructionText(marker, myRoute.steps[i].instructions);
      markerArray[i] = marker;
  }
}

function attachInstructionText(marker, text) {
  google.maps.event.addListener(marker, 'click', function() {
    stepDisplay.setContent(text);
    stepDisplay.open(map, marker);
  });
}

In the HTML body:

<div>
<strong>Start: </strong>
<select id="start">
  <option value="penn station, new york, ny">Penn Station</option>
  <option value="grand central station, new york, ny">Grand Central Station</option>
  <option value="625 8th Avenue New York NY 10018">Port Authority Bus Terminal</option>
  <option value="staten island ferry terminal, new york, ny">Staten Island Ferry Terminal</option>
  <option value="101 E 125th Street, New York, NY">Harlem - 125th St Station</option>
</select>
<strong>End: </strong>
<select id="end" onchange="calcRoute();">
  <option value="260 Broadway New York NY 10007">City Hall</option>
  <option value="W 49th St & 5th Ave, New York, NY 10020">Rockefeller Center</option>
  <option value="moma, New York, NY">MOMA</option>
  <option value="350 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10118">Empire State Building</option>
  <option value="253 West 125th Street, New York, NY">Apollo Theatre</option>
  <option value="1 Wall St, New York, NY">Wall St</option>
</select>
<div>

View example

Using Waypoints in Routes

As noted within the DirectionsRequest, you may also specify waypoints (of type DirectionsWaypoint) when calculating routes using the Directions service for walking, bicycling or driving directions. Waypoints are not available for transit directions. Waypoints allow you to calculate routes through additional locations, in which case the returned route passes through the given waypoints.

A waypoint consists of the following fields:

  • location (required) specifies the address of the waypoint.
  • stopover (optional) indicates whether this waypoint is a actual stop on the route (true) or instead only a preference to route through the indicated location (false). Stopovers are true by default.

By default, the Directions service calculates a route through the provided waypoints in their given order. Optionally, you may pass optimizeWaypoints: true within the DirectionsRequest to allow the Directions service to optimize the provided route by rearranging the waypoints in a more efficient order. (This optimization is an application of the traveling salesperson problem.) Travel time is the primary factor which is optimized, but other factors such as distance, number of turns and many more may be taken into account when deciding which route is the most efficient. All waypoints must be stopovers for the Directions service to optimize their route.

If you instruct the Directions service to optimize the order of its waypoints, their order will be returned in the waypoint_order field within the DirectionsResult object.

The following example calculates cross-country routes across the United States using a variety of start points, end points, and waypoints. (To select multiple waypoints, press Ctrl-Click when selecting items within the list.) Note that we inspect the routes.start_address and routes.end_address to provide us with the text for each route's start and end point.

TypeScript

function initMap(): void {
  const directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();
  const directionsRenderer = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer();
  const map = new google.maps.Map(
    document.getElementById("map") as HTMLElement,
    {
      zoom: 6,
      center: { lat: 41.85, lng: -87.65 },
    }
  );

  directionsRenderer.setMap(map);

  (document.getElementById("submit") as HTMLElement).addEventListener(
    "click",
    () => {
      calculateAndDisplayRoute(directionsService, directionsRenderer);
    }
  );
}

function calculateAndDisplayRoute(
  directionsService: google.maps.DirectionsService,
  directionsRenderer: google.maps.DirectionsRenderer
) {
  const waypts: google.maps.DirectionsWaypoint[] = [];
  const checkboxArray = document.getElementById(
    "waypoints"
  ) as HTMLSelectElement;

  for (let i = 0; i < checkboxArray.length; i++) {
    if (checkboxArray.options[i].selected) {
      waypts.push({
        location: (checkboxArray[i] as HTMLOptionElement).value,
        stopover: true,
      });
    }
  }

  directionsService
    .route({
      origin: (document.getElementById("start") as HTMLInputElement).value,
      destination: (document.getElementById("end") as HTMLInputElement).value,
      waypoints: waypts,
      optimizeWaypoints: true,
      travelMode: google.maps.TravelMode.DRIVING,
    })
    .then((response) => {
      directionsRenderer.setDirections(response);

      const route = response.routes[0];
      const summaryPanel = document.getElementById(
        "directions-panel"
      ) as HTMLElement;

      summaryPanel.innerHTML = "";

      // For each route, display summary information.
      for (let i = 0; i < route.legs.length; i++) {
        const routeSegment = i + 1;

        summaryPanel.innerHTML +=
          "<b>Route Segment: " + routeSegment + "</b><br>";
        summaryPanel.innerHTML += route.legs[i].start_address + " to ";
        summaryPanel.innerHTML += route.legs[i].end_address + "<br>";
        summaryPanel.innerHTML += route.legs[i].distance!.text + "<br><br>";
      }
    })
    .catch((e) => window.alert("Directions request failed due to " + status));
}

declare global {
  interface Window {
    initMap: () => void;
  }
}
window.initMap = initMap;
index.ts

JavaScript

function initMap() {
  const directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();
  const directionsRenderer = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer();
  const map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map"), {
    zoom: 6,
    center: { lat: 41.85, lng: -87.65 },
  });

  directionsRenderer.setMap(map);
  document.getElementById("submit").addEventListener("click", () => {
    calculateAndDisplayRoute(directionsService, directionsRenderer);
  });
}

function calculateAndDisplayRoute(directionsService, directionsRenderer) {
  const waypts = [];
  const checkboxArray = document.getElementById("waypoints");

  for (let i = 0; i < checkboxArray.length; i++) {
    if (checkboxArray.options[i].selected) {
      waypts.push({
        location: checkboxArray[i].value,
        stopover: true,
      });
    }
  }

  directionsService
    .route({
      origin: document.getElementById("start").value,
      destination: document.getElementById("end").value,
      waypoints: waypts,
      optimizeWaypoints: true,
      travelMode: google.maps.TravelMode.DRIVING,
    })
    .then((response) => {
      directionsRenderer.setDirections(response);

      const route = response.routes[0];
      const summaryPanel = document.getElementById("directions-panel");

      summaryPanel.innerHTML = "";

      // For each route, display summary information.
      for (let i = 0; i < route.legs.length; i++) {
        const routeSegment = i + 1;

        summaryPanel.innerHTML +=
          "<b>Route Segment: " + routeSegment + "</b><br>";
        summaryPanel.innerHTML += route.legs[i].start_address + " to ";
        summaryPanel.innerHTML += route.legs[i].end_address + "<br>";
        summaryPanel.innerHTML += route.legs[i].distance.text + "<br><br>";
      }
    })
    .catch((e) => window.alert("Directions request failed due to " + status));
}

window.initMap = initMap;
index.js

Limits and Restrictions for Waypoints

The following usage limits and restrictions apply:

  • The maximum number of waypoints allowed when using the Directions service in the Maps JavaScript API is 25, plus the origin and destination. The limits are the same for the Directions API web service.
  • For the Directions API web service, customers are allowed 25 waypoints, plus the origin, and destination.
  • Google Maps Platform Premium Plan customers are allowed 25 waypoints, plus the origin, and destination.
  • Waypoints are not supported for transit directions.

Draggable Directions

Users may modify cycling, walking or driving directions displayed using a DirectionsRenderer dynamically if they are draggable, allowing a user to select and alter routes by clicking and dragging the resulting paths on the map. You indicate whether a renderer's display allows draggable directions by setting its draggable property to true. Transit directions cannot be made draggable.

When directions are draggable, a user may select any point on the path (or waypoint) of the rendered result and move the indicated component to a new location. The DirectionsRenderer will dynamically update to show the modified path. Upon release, a transitional waypoint will be added to the map (indicated by a small white marker). Selecting and moving a path segment will alter that leg of the route, while selecting and moving a waypoint marker (including start and end points) will alter the legs of the route passing through that waypoint.

Because draggable directions are modified and rendered client-side, you may wish to monitor and handle the directions_changed event on the DirectionsRenderer to be notified when the user has modified the displayed directions.

The following code shows a trip from Perth on the west coast of Australia to Sydney on the east coast. The code monitors the directions_changed event to update the total distance of all legs of the journey.

TypeScript

function initMap(): void {
  const map = new google.maps.Map(
    document.getElementById("map") as HTMLElement,
    {
      zoom: 4,
      center: { lat: -24.345, lng: 134.46 }, // Australia.
    }
  );

  const directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();
  const directionsRenderer = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer({
    draggable: true,
    map,
    panel: document.getElementById("panel") as HTMLElement,
  });

  directionsRenderer.addListener("directions_changed", () => {
    const directions = directionsRenderer.getDirections();

    if (directions) {
      computeTotalDistance(directions);
    }
  });

  displayRoute(
    "Perth, WA",
    "Sydney, NSW",
    directionsService,
    directionsRenderer
  );
}

function displayRoute(
  origin: string,
  destination: string,
  service: google.maps.DirectionsService,
  display: google.maps.DirectionsRenderer
) {
  service
    .route({
      origin: origin,
      destination: destination,
      waypoints: [
        { location: "Adelaide, SA" },
        { location: "Broken Hill, NSW" },
      ],
      travelMode: google.maps.TravelMode.DRIVING,
      avoidTolls: true,
    })
    .then((result: google.maps.DirectionsResult) => {
      display.setDirections(result);
    })
    .catch((e) => {
      alert("Could not display directions due to: " + e);
    });
}

function computeTotalDistance(result: google.maps.DirectionsResult) {
  let total = 0;
  const myroute = result.routes[0];

  if (!myroute) {
    return;
  }

  for (let i = 0; i < myroute.legs.length; i++) {
    total += myroute.legs[i]!.distance!.value;
  }

  total = total / 1000;
  (document.getElementById("total") as HTMLElement).innerHTML = total + " km";
}

declare global {
  interface Window {
    initMap: () => void;
  }
}
window.initMap = initMap;
index.ts

JavaScript

function initMap() {
  const map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map"), {
    zoom: 4,
    center: { lat: -24.345, lng: 134.46 }, // Australia.
  });
  const directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();
  const directionsRenderer = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer({
    draggable: true,
    map,
    panel: document.getElementById("panel"),
  });

  directionsRenderer.addListener("directions_changed", () => {
    const directions = directionsRenderer.getDirections();

    if (directions) {
      computeTotalDistance(directions);
    }
  });
  displayRoute(
    "Perth, WA",
    "Sydney, NSW",
    directionsService,
    directionsRenderer,
  );
}

function displayRoute(origin, destination, service, display) {
  service
    .route({
      origin: origin,
      destination: destination,
      waypoints: [
        { location: "Adelaide, SA" },
        { location: "Broken Hill, NSW" },
      ],
      travelMode: google.maps.TravelMode.DRIVING,
      avoidTolls: true,
    })
    .then((result) => {
      display.setDirections(result);
    })
    .catch((e) => {
      alert("Could not display directions due to: " + e);
    });
}

function computeTotalDistance(result) {
  let total = 0;
  const myroute = result.routes[0];

  if (!myroute) {
    return;
  }

  for (let i = 0; i < myroute.legs.length; i++) {
    total += myroute.legs[i].distance.value;
  }

  total = total / 1000;
  document.getElementById("total").innerHTML = total + " km";
}

window.initMap = initMap;
index.js
View example

Try Sample