‘Fooled by Google Maps’: Banner in Goa’s Baga Beach warns tourists of wrong route [Updated]

Google says it has already fixed the problem.

Do you trust Google Maps? (Shutterstock)

Update: Google has responded to the viral tweet saying it had fixed the problem back in 2017.

"...thank you for pointing this to us. We, actually, already fixed this in 2017. Looks like the banner needs fixing now :D," Google said in a tweet.

 

@tweesumz thank you for pointing this to us.
We, actually, already fixed this in 2017.
Looks like the banner needs fixing now :D pic.twitter.com/i1gIr6arMc

— Google India (@GoogleIndia) February 18, 2019

Original story: 

Google Maps is the go-to application for navigating to a location, especially when you're in a new city. The app is simple to use, works on slow internet connection and most importantly it's quite reliable. But sometimes even Google Maps gets it wrong.

Looks like people travelling to Goa's popular Baga Beach face this problem more than often. To address this problem, locals have put up a banner with a message, "You are fooled by Google Maps. This road doesn't take you to Baga Beach. Turn back and take a left turn, Baga is 1 km from here."

An image of the banner was posted on Twitter by Sumanth Raj Urs via masud. The tweet has already received over 200 retweets and over 900 likes.

A lot of users have also pointed out facing similar problems with Google Maps.

 

Hahaha. @googlemaps what's the route to Baga beach? 😀
Photo credits: masud. pic.twitter.com/0K2wK2TQD2

— Sumanth Raj Urs (@tweesumz) February 16, 2019

 

Same misleading route given today by Google. Place was hardly 700mtrs away whereas Google showed 1.5 km away

— R Kush (@Hariomsuttsutt) February 17, 2019

It's not the first time Google Maps' inaccuracy has caused problems. Just last month business owners in Australia's Queensland complained that travel times on Google Maps are inaccurate and it as deterring tourists from coming to certain areas. Google later quietly updated the estimated time, according to an ABC report.

How Google Maps works

Google Maps is essentially a crowd-sourced platform that collects data from multiple sources. It primarily depends upon the data from GPS-enabled smartphones to deliver traffic data in real-time. Google has also partnered with several transportation providers around the world to gather data.

The company also runs several programmes such as Local Guides and Map Makers to keep updating the application with more precise data.