Louisville, Ky.-based Transit Authority of River City (TARC) joined the Google Transit partnership program, a network that provides bus routing and stop data in more than 400 cities across the globe.

Through the program, anyone searching Google Maps site for directions in Greater Louisville can plan a trip on TARC. By choosing the public transit option and entering desired travel times and locations, passengers are provided step-by-step directions on TARC for their specific trips.

"TARC is always working to make public transportation a more convenient option and Google Maps provides a simple, quick way to get TARC trip information. Our customers are going to enjoy using this, and we encourage people to try it out," said J. Barry Barker, TARC's executive director.

With Google Maps, names of businesses and landmarks can be entered instead of specific addresses in order to obtain routing directions to your destination. Passengers are provided estimate travel times and walking directions to the nearest TARC stop. Other features on Google Maps include Street View images of locations, satellite imagery, and support for 40 different languages and compatibility with screen readers for visually impaired users.

TARC will feature a link to the Google trip planner as well as its own Trip Planner on its website.