How to Use Amazon Alexa to Make Your Commute Easier

Coming to work in the morning can be a stressful affair, especially when you live in a busy city. But your favorite voice assistant can make things a little easier by telling you the quickest route without you having to look at your phone.

We’ll show you how Alexa can make your commute a little smoother.

Get traffic information from Alexa

When you commute to work, you probably don’t want to add critical minutes to your trip by checking up the latest traffic news. Instead, you can use Alexa to hear a personalized traffic report as you prepare for the day ahead.

Once you’ve set your home and work addresses in the Alexa app, all you have to do is ask, “Alexa, what’s the traffic like?” or “Alexa, what’s my commute like?” to hear delays you’re probably running into will encounter on your journey. To set your home and work addresses, simply open the Alexa app (available for iOS and Android) and navigate to More tab, then settings. Scroll down and tap Commuteand then enter your home and work addresses.

Here you can also set whether you want to use Apple Maps or Google Maps as your default navigation app. Now if you ask “Alexa, what’s my commute like?” It gives you an overview of traffic conditions and the fastest route next to an ETA.

Integrate traffic updates into a routine

One of the most powerful aspects of Alexa is the ability to create routines within the Alexa app. Creating a morning routine is especially useful because you can set an alarm, turn on the lights, hear the latest updates, and play music all without lifting a finger.

But you can also incorporate traffic information into your routine to make your morning even more enjoyable. To start creating a routine, open the Alexa app and tap Morethen routines. Press the + icon in the top right and customize your trigger. For example, you could use when an alarm goes off between 7am and 8am, or when you say “Alexa, good morning.”

Beat Add action below and then paste what you want Alexa to do. To add traffic information, scroll down and select Traffic. When you’re done, press Save on computer. Now when your routine is triggered, Alexa will tell you what your commute looks like without you having to ask.

Find out how to get there by public transport

You may have noticed that under the pendulum settings you can set your preferred pendulum type. If you use public transport to get to work, you must set this to Public Transport.

Instead of Alexa telling you the quickest route, you’ll now hear which bus or train to take, what time the next one leaves, and how long it’s expected to take, including walking time.

Use an Echo Auto

The Echo Auto is nifty technology if you don’t have a car with a built-in voice assistant. It can do virtually anything an Echo can do at home, including adding items to your to-do list, making phone calls, and turning on your living room lights—and you can do it all without touching your phone.

It comes with an air vent mount and a 3.5mm audio jack, so you can connect the Echo Auto to your stereo system even if your car doesn’t support Bluetooth. You only need a USB port to power it.

For example, if you want directions, you can ask Alexa and it will open the default app from your Commute on your phone. Or if you want to hear your Flash briefing (how to create one) on the way to work, just say “Alexa, play my Flash briefing” like you would at home.

Install Commuter Skills

There’s also a selection of third-party skills you can use to make that morning (or evening) commute a little easier. Let’s take a look at three of them.

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If you typically use Uber to commute to work or frequently face unreliable public transit, consider the Uber Skill. While you still have to tell the driver your destination address, you can order an Uber to pick you up without needing your phone. You can also check how far away the driver is and cancel the trip if necessary.

New York subway status and arrival times

If you live in New York, commuting to work on the subway is usually preferable to taking a cab or driving through congested streets. With the NYC Subway Status & Arrival Times skill, you can hear detailed information about the status of your regular line or upcoming arrivals at a specific station. It uses real-time data to estimate delays and estimated departure times from any subway station in New York.

Public transport departure alarm

With the Public Transit Departure Alert skill, you can take your search for the best train or bus to the next level with Alexa. Instead of just finding the next train or bus, this skill also takes into account the time you want to get there.

So when you open the public transit departure alarm and say, “I want to arrive at Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, at 7:30 PM,” Alexa returns the optimal service, its location, and the departure time.

Simplify your mornings with Alexa

Getting to work on time and avoiding traffic jams becomes a lot easier when you use Alexa to help you. Not sure where to start? Try adding your work address in the Alexa app and ask Alexa how you commute the next time you get ready for work.