Yandex adds gas station queue data to its maps, initially only in Moscow and St. Petersburg
Yandex Go and Yandex Zapravki now display information about queues and fuel availability at gas stations, but initially only in Moscow and St. Petersburg, amid a fuel crisis spreading across Russia.
Yandex has announced that its Yandex Go and Yandex Zapravki apps now include data on queue lengths and fuel availability at gas stations. Previously, this information was only visible to taxi drivers. Now any user can see on the map which stations drivers have recently refueled at, filter results by fuel type, and check estimated wait times.
The map technology is similar to Yandex's traffic service. Data is sourced from Yandex Maps, fuel orders placed through the Yandex Zapravki app, and surveys of drivers who have recently refueled or passed a station.
The wait-time feature is currently in test mode for Moscow and St. Petersburg only. Residents of other cities will gain access in the coming weeks.
This update comes as a fuel crisis spreads across nearly all of Russia's regions. Regional authorities are introducing limits on gasoline sales, leading to long queues at gas stations, in some cases stretching for kilometers. Drivers report the worst situation in the Transbaikal region, where wait times can reach up to three days.
