B1 line display board, at the Forum of Beirut, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Credit: Nemtala Edde/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Google Transit is now available in Lebanon for the first time, enabling users to view public transportation lines, routes and estimated timetables nationwide on Google Maps, amid recent developments in the sector.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport welcomed the move on Monday, calling it “a qualitative breakthrough toward better organization of daily commuting and easier use of public transport.”
The service allows users to plan trips using public transportation, check routes and stops, view estimated arrival and departure times, and follow step-by-step directions directly on Google Maps.
The launch comes as public transportation in Lebanon sees a gradual revival. In September 2025, the operator Ahdab Commuting & Trading Company (ACTC) rolled out a mobile application, ACTC PT, available on Android and iOS, which lets users explore the 11 active routes, along with their stops and fares.
The routes are part of a public-private partnership between the Office of Railways and Public Transport and ACTC. Since July 2024, the partnership has enabled the phased deployment of 93 state-owned buses, including 49 donated by France in May 2022. An additional 30 buses donated by Qatar were handed over to the Lebanese state in mid-December.
The public bus lines, first launched in the 1990s without rehabilitation, generally operate on fixed routes and adhere more closely to safety standards, particularly speed limits.
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