Peron vs Google Maps: which is better for your daily train?
Google Maps and Apple Maps are made for finding a route. Peron is made for the train you already know you're taking. If you ride the 07:20 from Sežana every weekday, you don't need directions. You need to know whether it's late, where it stops, and whether you'll make your change.
What sets them apart
A maps app answers "how do I get there?" It mixes walking, buses, cars and trains, and it's very good at that. For live train times it depends on what each railway sends it, and the trip ends when you get there.
Peron only does trains in Slovenia, and it does them in depth. It follows every passenger train every 30 seconds, learns your weekday commute, and keeps a record of how your trains and changes actually run. That's what lets it say "this 4-minute change worked 5 of the last 5 days" instead of only showing the timetable.
What you get with Peron that a maps app doesn't do
- An alert at your threshold. You choose when a delay matters (10 minutes by default). Below that, Peron stays quiet.
- Leave-now time that moves. Your walk to the station plus the train's live time.
- Every train in Slovenia on one live map. Green on time, red late. Positions between stations are estimated, and labelled that way.
- Platforms before the board. Predicted from where the same train stopped before.
- Changes with a track record. Time to spare, time needed, how often it worked, and the next train if it doesn't.
- Replacement buses planned in. Closures appear only on the trips they affect.
- A rail passport. Your stations, lines and kilometres, stamped as you ride.
Side by side
| Peron | Google Maps / Apple Maps | |
|---|---|---|
| Door-to-door routes with walking, bus, car | No, trains and replacement buses | Yes |
| Works in other countries | Slovenia only, for now | Most countries |
| Live delays for SŽ trains | Every 30 s | Depends on the data the railway shares |
| Alert when your usual train is late | Yes, your threshold | Not built around a daily train |
| Leave-now alert that follows delays | Yes | Departure times on a planned route |
| Platform | Predicted, labelled | Only where the railway publishes it |
| Change: track record and plan B | Yes | No |
| Lock Screen Live Activity | Yes | Turn-by-turn style trip views |
| Trip history and stats | Rail passport | Location history, if you turn it on |
| Location | Ride check on your iPhone only, never sent | Varies by app and settings |
Questions
Does Google Maps show if my SŽ train is late? Maps apps show live times only where the railway's real-time data reaches them. Peron reads Slovenia's public real-time data directly and checks every train every 30 seconds.
Can I use both? Yes. Plan an unfamiliar trip in your maps app, and add the train to Peron for the ride itself.
Does Peron know where I am? Only on your iPhone, during a trip, to check you're on board. Your location is never sent anywhere.
Which one should you use?
Use a maps app to find a new route. Use Peron for the trains you take every week.
Know before the board does.
Download on the App Store