Google Maps to Add New Feature that Can Show You Toll Booth Prices

Let’s say you're on a big epic road trip to the North Coast. Maybe you're on your way to a Sahel compound, or maybe you want to holiday in Alexandria. Your destination isn't the issue here - no matter where you're going, you'll need to pass through the toll booth. You know the drill. You've been through it before. Yet somehow you're never prepared. Each and every time you have to ask about the price of the toll. And then each and every time you have to go through the ritual of rifling through your bag and your cup holder and that little compartment that somehow still contains a cassette tape titled 'Best of the BeeGees' - all because you didn't bother to prepare your change ahead of time.

What if Google Maps helped with that?

A possible upcoming feature in Google Maps won't necessarily stop you from being a mess, but it will at least give you a heads up as to how much you'll need to pay at the toll booth. In fact, it wouldn't just show the charges at just one toll booth - it may show you the collective charges of all the toll booths along a chosen path before you start. So you can pick the route that best fits your tolerance for picking through your purse for the five pound bill that you're SURE you dropped there a month ago.

That said, you may even be able to pay directly through Google Maps. They announced earlier in 2021 that they're working with 80 transit agencies in several countries that will allow users to pay ahead of time. Realistically speaking, it might be some time before that particular aspect becomes relevant in Egypt.

Although it's not clear when and how exactly the feature will be implemented, it is notable that Waze - an app that Google acquired in 2013 - already has a similar feature, albeit with estimated prices rather than actual prices.