Driving over potholes is never enjoyable. They may lead to headaches, vehicle collisions, and damage to your car, resulting in a frustrating trip. Waymo, the robotaxi firm, and Waze, the free community-powered GPS navigation app, are teaming up to tackle potholes. The companies announced their joint initiative on Thursday to address potholes requiring repairs. The new data-sharing pilot program will gather details on problematic road conditions and relay required repairs to the city. Waymo serves 11 cities, and the program will launch in five key markets: Austin, Texas; Atlanta; Los Angeles; Phoenix; and the San Francisco Bay Area, with intentions to grow to additional cities later. Waymo reports detecting 500 potholes in the Bay Area to date. “As Waymo’s autonomous fleet travels across San Jose, we appreciate the collaboration with Waymo and Waze as we explore how technology can help identify issues like potholes faster so we can respond more efficiently,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in an emailed statement. Departments of Transportation for each city and state will be able to access this pothole information through the Waze for Cities app. Waymo’s blog post noted that city officials’ calls for improved methods to maintain safe road conditions inspired the program’s initial concept. Most cities still rely on residents reporting issues via 311 calls or the my311 app, or through manual inspections. This approach has led to insufficient repairs and a partial grasp of a neighborhood’s road conditions and the maintenance resources required. Waymo’s robotaxis employ autonomous driving tech, featuring high-end cameras, lidar, radar, and various tracking sensors, positioning them ideally for gathering road data. Waze users in Waymo-operating cities can access this data straight in the app—a notable feature, since Waze relies on user reports to flag problematic road issues. The app already provides pothole data and locations, but incorporating Waymo’s tracking data will verify this information and boost the app’s accuracy. “For years, Waze drivers have supported one another by reporting potholes to ensure smoother, safer journeys,” said Andrew Stober, Waze strategic partner manager, in the blog post.
