Waymo and Waze announced Wednesday a pilot program to help cities more efficiently identify and repair potholes using data collected by Waymo's autonomous vehicle fleet.
The program uses Waymo's onboard perception and physical feedback systems to detect potholes in real time. That data will be shared with cities and state Departments of Transportation through the Waze for Cities platform — a free service — alongside user-reported pothole information. Waze users will also receive alerts when approaching a Waymo-identified pothole, and can verify reported hazards to improve data accuracy.
The pilot will launch in five metro areas where Waymo already operates: the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta metros. Waymo said it has already identified approximately 500 potholes across those markets. The company said it plans to expand the partnership to additional cities over time, including those with freeze-thaw cycles that worsen road conditions.
Many cities currently depend on 311 calls from residents and manual inspections to identify pothole problems — an approach officials say can leave gaps in road condition reporting and complicate equitable allocation of maintenance resources.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said his city already uses object detection on municipal vehicles and welcomed the added data. "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," he said.
Sarah Kaufman, director of the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation, said the program reflects a broader responsibility companies bear when operating on public streets. "It's a simple step," she said, "but it reflects a broader principle of responsibility."
Waymo said it will seek feedback from participating cities and explore expanding the types of actionable road data it provides.