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Having read the Google Maps Terms of Service, I don't understand how Citymapper is not breaking section 10.4.c: "Restrictions on Unfair Exploitation of the Service and Content."

Surely they must be using the Google Maps API as part of their service, and Citymapper is an alternative to using Google Maps.

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  • On which grounds do you suspect it of violating the terms of service?
    – phoog
    Jan 27, 2016 at 18:56
  • @phoog Cobbles said "Surely they must be using the Google Maps API as part of their service, and Citymapper is an alternative to using Google Maps." I think it's clear that Cobbles thinks that it is on those grounds that it violates the terms of services.
    – user3851
    Jan 27, 2016 at 20:10
  • @Dawn thanks, I overlooked the significance of that last bit. Cobbles: I suppose Citymapper is not a substitute service. It doesn't calculate directions between cities, for example, and there are other features of Google maps that it does not have. Also, its transportation directions offer more information than those of Google maps.
    – phoog
    Jan 27, 2016 at 20:15
  • @phoog I suppose you could be right, thanks. It still seems very close to a substitute though
    – Cobbles
    Jan 28, 2016 at 19:15
  • @Cobbles yes, there's definitely lots of room for subjectivity here. I don't suppose Google has publicly expressed any opinion on what they consider to be a "substitute service." It's also possible that Citymapper has negotiated with Google because of this concern, and if so they may be operating under different terms of service.
    – phoog
    Jan 28, 2016 at 22:15

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The TOS for Citymapper states that

We use third parties, such as Transport for London, Metropolitan Transport Authority and other transport agencies, Apple, Google, OpenStreetMap, Foursquare, Yelp to provide data on which the transport information and recommendations in the app are based. We and our partners try to make sure that the data is correct and up-to-date...

So they must have agreements with those companies and government entities to access the data.

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