You can tell google maps when you're going to be making the journey. Maybe you couldn't back when you tried. Related to worse search results, I don't know. But the fact that you're finding it less relevant doesn't mean it doesn't serve the needs of any user, but that it doesn't server your needs. And that's the point. Microsoft pushes people pretty hard towards bing, yet Google keeps coming on top, I assume people know about bing but are preferring google. They only need to be better than the competition they have.
Oh, google is perfect for finding the opening hours of a pizza joint near you.
Unfortunately, it used to be perfect for more advanced searches too. Not any more.
Btw, I don't see where to enter the date when i just ask for directions on google maps. Maybe it's available in the phone app but i use the web page for planning because I can open it on a real screen...
It exists in the web UI too. You need to select the precise time and day, not just the general time of the year, but you can tell it when you want to depart or arrive. See my screenshot below. By default, the dark blue section will have "Leave now" selected.
Regarding the results, I feel like I'm better at finding things when I have no idea what I'm actually looking for. However, when I know what I'm looking for, it seems more difficult at times, I can't say it was easier before, though.
