Google Maps Almost Got Me Into Trouble in Montreal. So I Built OnFoot.

The moment:

I was traveling solo in Montreal, following Google Maps home at night.
It took me down a street I shouldn't have been on — poorly lit, sketchy area, people who looked dangerous. I was alone. It was dark. I had to make a bigger detour just to feel safe getting back to my hotel.

Next morning, I discovered there was a perfectly safe, well-lit pedestrian path — shorter, brighter, faster — that Google Maps never showed me.

That's when I realized: Google Maps is built for cars, not people.

The problem:

Over a few years of traveling, I've walked in different cities. And I kept discovering the same thing:

Google Maps finds the shortest route, not the safest
It rotates constantly (I'm walking like a drunk person trying to find direction)
It has zero knowledge of pedestrian-only paths and shortcuts
It doesn't care about lighting, visibility, or actual safety
Cities change constantly — alleys, passages, shortcuts — Google Maps never catches up

But travelers and city dwellers? We need this. Desperately.

So I built OnFoot:

Started coding in January 2025. Got Play Store approval in July 2026. Live now.

What makes it different:

🟢 Static line routing — one green line shows exactly where to go (no spinning map)

🚶 Pedestrian-optimized routes — shortcuts, alleys, pedestrian passages Google Maps doesn't know

🛡️ Safety first — well-lit streets, community reports, SOS button

🔄 Gets smarter — every user walk crosses paths, creates better, faster, safer routes over time

💡 Lighting-aware — knows which streets are lit at night

Current state:

10 real users. Mostly travelers and expats. They're using it for exactly what I built it for: walking safely in unfamiliar cities.

Someone in Amsterdam told me: "OnFoot just saved me 15 minutes and I felt way safer."

That's the goal.

But here's my challenge:

I'm 50. I bootstrapped this completely. Built it solo. I work full-time (different job) and built OnFoot on nights/weekends.

I have a real product solving a real problem. But I have zero marketing budget and I don't know how to reach the millions of travelers who are right now following Google Maps into sketchy situations.

What I'm asking:

Are you a traveler? Would you use OnFoot?
Do you know how I reach travelers, expats, solo walkers?
Are you in growth/marketing and believe in this? (I'm applying to Antler residency Sept 14 — looking for co-founder)
What am I missing?

Download and tell me honestly.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onfoot.app

P.S. — I'm not anti-Google. Google Maps is incredible. But it's for drivers. OnFoot is for people. That's the bet.