Waymo robotaxis track potholes and share that data with Waze users

Two Alphabet companies are teaming up to discover potholes and share them with cities.

Waymo and Waze on Thursday announced a data-sharing pilot program that brings together pothole data collected by robotaxis into the free Waze platform designed for cities. As the program expands, that data will be accessible in any city or state in which Waymo operates.

Waymo already operates commercially in 11 cities and is being tested in more cities. For now, the pilot is focused on five initial markets: Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area, where Waymo says it has already identified about 500 potholes. This partnership is expected to expand to more cities over time.

But cities aren’t the only recipients of that data. Anyone who has the Waze app in cities operated by Waymo will be able to access that data, which, by the way, can help confirm that the locations of these potholes are accurate.

Waze users already have the ability to report potholes in the app. This pilot program aims to enhance and expand that report and make it readily available to cities.

Waymo robotaxis are equipped with cameras, lidar, radar, and other sensors, making them ideal tools for collecting data about potholes and other hazards.

Other companies use sensors in cars and cell phones to track traffic patterns and other information that they sell or share. Waymo appears to be the first company to use robotaxis to do this job.

And it’s no wonder why. Robotaxis companies need to attract cities. Providing potentially useful data about potholes and other dangerous road conditions can help build goodwill. And now Waymo is largely bearing the brunt of the burden, as it ramps up its expansion into more than 20 cities this year.

Waymo said in a blog post that the idea came from city officials who have shared feedback over the years. Waymo said the pilot program aims to fill reporting gaps and support cities’ efforts to maintain safer streets.

“Waymo is demonstrating the Good Neighbor Principles in action. By sharing data, cities can solve problems faster and make our streets safer for everyone,” Sarah Kaufman, director of the Rudin Center for Transportation at New York University, said on the Waymo blog. “This is a simple measure, but it reflects the broader principle of responsibility that businesses operating on public roads can contribute to improving them.”