Waymo and Waze pilot uses autonomous fleet to detect potholes for cities
Waymo and Waze are launching a pilot program that uses Waymo's autonomous vehicle perception systems to detect potholes and share data with cities via the Waze for Cities platform.
- approximately 500
- 5 metro areas
What Happened
Waymo and Waze today announced a pilot program that uses Waymo's perception and physical feedback systems to detect potholes where Waymo operates. The data is provided to cities and state Departments of Transportation through the free Waze for Cities platform, alongside user-reported potholes. Waze users in those cities will also see pothole alerts and can verify the Waymo-identified potholes to improve accuracy.
“Waymo is already making roads safer where we operate. We want to build on the safety benefits of our service by partnering with organizations and city officials to help improve the infrastructure we all depend on.”
Potholes can cause significant vehicle damage and contribute to crashes. Currently, many cities rely on non-emergency 311 reports from residents and manual inspections, which provide an incomplete picture of road health, making it difficult to allocate maintenance resources equitably. This pilot aims to fill reporting gaps based on feedback from city officials.
“We’re always looking for innovative ways to deliver better services for residents, including our own work using object detection through cameras on City vehicles. 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.”
approximately 500
In the first five metro areas: San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta.
“Waymo is showing the good neighbor principle in action: sharing data that helps cities fix problems faster and make streets safer for everyone. It’s a simple step, but it reflects a broader principle of responsibility, that companies operating on public streets can help improve them.”
“For years, drivers on Waze have helped each other by reporting potholes for a smoother, safer ride. This pilot program with Waymo adds another source of data to that effort, giving cities a clearer picture of road conditions through our Waze for Cities platform. It's a great example of how working together helps our community and makes our roads better for everyone.”
Why this matters
Potholes cause vehicle damage and contribute to crashes. Cities often rely on manual reports, which gives an incomplete picture. This pilot uses Waymo's autonomous fleet to automatically detect potholes, helping cities allocate maintenance resources more equitably and alerting drivers via Waze, making roads safer for everyone.
Terms in This Story
- Autonomous fleet
- A fleet of self-driving vehicles that operate without human intervention.
- Perception system
- Sensors and software that allow autonomous vehicles to detect and interpret their surroundings.
- Waze for Cities
- A free platform from Google that provides cities with traffic and road condition data to improve infrastructure management.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.