One of the most popular GPS navigation apps for a long time is MapQuest, which also lets you see live traffic cams and get real-time traffic information. This software helps people plan their routes and stay informed while they’re commuting.
Even though it’s been around for more than 20 years, people still use MapQuest to find simple routes from one place to another. The tool isn’t perfect for business use, but it can work well if you know your desired characteristics.
If you’re looking for software to help you plan your route and are wondering if MapQuest is the right choice, we have a full review of its main features, pricing, and a step-by-step guide for you.
What are the Key Features of MapQuest?
MapQuest is one of the less popular mapping apps, but it has a lot of features similar to Google Maps and Apple Maps. MapQuest lets you make free driving directions and can map more than one stop. Even though it’s not as good as dedicated route planning apps, MapQuest lets users do the following:
- You can freely plan up to 26 stops.
- Find out how much fuel will cost for a whole trip.
- Save whole routes
- Change the order of several destinations
- Stay away from highways, toll roads, and seasonal roads.
- Automatic calculations for IRS reimbursement
- Finding your location with just one tap (in the mobile app)
- You can copy and paste stops or bring in a spreadsheet to add them line-by-line.
MapQuest is easy to use and works well for simple routes, just like Google Maps and Apple Maps. Some features, like the fact that it automatically figures out your IRS reimbursement, are nice, but they don’t do much to help you plan your business routes. For each trip, MapQuest will automatically figure out how many miles you’ve driven and how much you’re owed in reimbursement.Â
Steps to Use MapQuest Route Planner
No matter what device you’re using, the MapQuest route planner is easy to use. To use MapQuest to plan your route, just follow these five easy steps:
Step 1: Open MapQuest
Access the MapQuest route planning by going to the website, clicking on the menu icon, and then selecting Route Planner. You can do this on your desktop computer or any other device that can connect to the internet. You can also use the MapQuest app on your phone. The simple interface of both mobile and desktop applications makes the tool easy for anyone to use, even if they aren’t very familiar with the technology.
Step 2: Type in Addresses
There are three ways to enter an address into MapQuest’s route planner software:
By Line: Type in the addresses one at a time on each line, add new stops, and try to find the shortest route or the fastest time to arrive.
Cut and paste: You can copy and paste up to 26 addresses at once to help you plan your route faster.
Use imports: You can bring in information from a CSV, XLS, or XLSX file. You can also save template files to use later. No matter what method you use, make sure your addresses are formatted correctly so MapQuest can give you the correct route plan.
MapQuest users can add up to 26 stops to a single route plan, while Google Maps and Apple Maps only allow ten or fourteen.
People who work in restaurants, eCommerce, logistics, and service technicians are most likely to benefit from having more waypoints. In terms of cost, adding more stops to each route will help you stay within the limits of your subscription, but it might not be as convenient as you’d like.
It gives away a free delivery route planner, but companies that need more freedom may find that they reach their limits faster than they thought. Most likely, they will want to look into route planning tools that are specifically made for businesses that do field service and delivery. More than a thousand more stops can be made with other tools than with the free ones on the market.
Step 3: Make Changes
Click on “More Route Settings” to see more options that will help you make the route fit your needs. MapQuest can even help you stay away from painful things like toll roads, ferries, country borders, and more.
MapQuest can also help people who are walking for short distances or making last-mile deliveries. Walking with it is just as easy to use and accurate as driving with it.
Unlike most navigation tools, MapQuest gives its users the option to optimize for either distance or time.
You can adjust the stops’ order and enable the round-trip checkbox to expand your options on the MapQuest multi-stop route planner. You have to do this manually with MapQuest, which can be laborious and slow down the process.
The fastest route for thousands of trips can be found using MapQuest’s automation tools. If you’re merely traveling for leisure or if your business requirements are modest, this might be sufficient. However, it ignores other significant factors that are typically considered by more sophisticated route planning tools for business use, such as the driver’s skills, time windows or other special needs, the length of time you spend at each stop, and other factors.
Step 4: Review the Instructions
After making the adjustments, nothing more needs to be done. For a complete route view, click “View Route Directions.” The route planner provides detailed instructions along with the total distance of your trip, its estimated duration, and the amount of reimbursement you will receive from the IRS.
Step 5: Inform Others
You can forward these instructions to others via text, email, or link. A copy of your plan is also available for printing. All you need to do is click the “Print” icon at the top of the page to print the itinerary. In addition to the map image, you can also obtain written driving directions.
How to Use the Mileage Converter on MapQuest?
Although all drivers must be aware of their gas consumption, employees who wish to submit a fuel claim for a business trip must be even more aware of the mileage of their upcoming trips.
One of MapQuest’s best features is that It offers mileage calculators for the US. These calculators enable users to calculate their IRS reimbursement rate for any route they take on MapQuest in the US.
The amounts discovered are based on this year’s one-cent-per-mile official IRS reimbursement rate. MapQuest multiplies the total amount of miles on your route by the IRS rate to determine how much you can receive back.
To determine your IRS reimbursement rate, you must first activate this tool. The actions you must do to accomplish that are as follows:
Find out how to get there by visiting the MapQuest website.
- Pick “Route Settings”
- Moving the switch to the right of “Use IRS Reimbursement for Fuel” works.
- Click Setup to Apply.
When you map a route and on the Route Options page after you’ve done these things, you should see an IRS reimbursement value. Click “View Step-by-Step Directions” to see the value.
Better Route Planner than MapQuest
You might have thought MapQuest was an old-school internet site like AOL or MySpace, but it’s still around. It has a lot of the same features as Google Maps and Apple Maps, like finding the quickest route and skipping expensive tolls. It’s also helpful that it can figure out how much the IRS will reimburse you for business trips.Â
It’s no secret that MapQuest can’t quite keep up with route planning and true route optimization software. However, it’s a good choice for fun things like road trips and planning a single business trip route. It doesn’t have many of the features that logistics companies and small businesses need to plan routes, and it can’t find the best route based on anything other than distance. MapQuest can help you with some business tasks, like going to one work location, but you might be more efficient using an entire route planning tool instead.
NextBillion.ai’s Route Planner Tool with Route Optimization Features
NextBillion.ai offers an advanced route planning tool that enables businesses and logistics service providers to optimize routes more efficiently. Our route planner tool is based on route optimization API and lets users easily implement route optimization API capabilities with a no-code UI tool.Â
With the route planner tool, you can easily upload your vehicle, jobs and shipment data in CSV format and get an optimized route with the set constraints in just a few clicks.