HopStop, a pioneer in offering transit directions in major cities, disappeared in October — not because it failed, but because Apple bought it and shut it down after putting its engineers to work building Apple's own transit-navigation service. 

 

That feature went live on Apple Maps in September, narrowing a major feature gap with Google Maps.

 

Such transit services offer you navigation routes via train and bus, usually based on published transit schedules.

 

Some also offer limited real-time arrival information. Although Apple's transit service doesn't cover as many cities as HopStop and Google Maps, it has its strengths, including improvements in getting you to and from subway stations.

 

Here's a look at how Apple Maps, Google Maps and a few smaller rivals stack up in this respect.