Waymo and Waze, both Alphabet-owned businesses, announced Thursday a data-sharing pilot program aimed at improving how cities identify and validate roadway damage. The program funnels pothole data collected by Waymo robotaxis into a free Waze platform designed for cities, with the goal of making that information more accessible as the pilot expands. According to the announcement, the effort also includes a community verification loop: anyone with the Waze app in participating locations can help confirm pothole locations.
Robotaxis as road-sensing infrastructure
The pilot leverages autonomous vehicle sensor stacks as a continuous data collection system for road hazards. Waymo robotaxis are equipped with cameras, lidar, radar, and other sensors suited to collect data on potholes and other roadway dangers.
Waymo is currently operating commercially in 11 cities and testing in additional locations. For the initial pilot, the program will focus on five markets: Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In those markets, Waymo has already identified approximately 500 potholes ahead of the pilot’s rollout.
The robotaxi perception pipeline—built to detect objects and navigate safely—can also be used to detect road surface anomalies at scale. This approach repurposes existing sensor infrastructure for civic benefit.
How the data-sharing pilot works with Waze
The pilot is structured as a data-sharing mechanism that funnels pothole data collected by robotaxis to a free Waze platform designed for cities. Any city or state where Waymo operates will be able to access that data as the program expands.
This city access component shifts pothole reporting from ad hoc public submissions toward a channel that can be integrated into municipal workflows. The platform is explicitly designed for cities and will be offered at no cost.
In parallel, anyone with a Waze app in cities where Waymo operates will also have access to that data and can help verify pothole locations are accurate. This creates a verification model where robotaxis provide initial detections, while app users validate or corroborate those locations.
The pilot builds on existing Waze functionality. Waze users have already had the ability to report potholes to the app. The new program is designed to augment and expand that reporting and make it readily available to cities.
Context: Sensor data for civic infrastructure
Road hazard detection has traditionally relied on a mix of public reports and manual measurements. Other companies use sensors in cars or phones to track traffic patterns and other information, which can be sold or shared. Waymo appears to be the first company to use robotaxis for pothole detection and reporting at this scale.
The pilot demonstrates several practical applications:
Sensor data repurposing: The same vehicle sensing that supports autonomous navigation can produce hazard information useful for civic infrastructure management. The program directs pothole data to a free platform designed for cities, indicating a deliberate effort to productize perception outputs for public benefit.
Verification as part of system design: The program explicitly ties accuracy to user verification in the Waze app. This suggests the system expects some detections to require confirmation—whether for false positives, location precision, or timing.
Scale tied to deployment footprint: Waymo’s current commercial presence in 11 cities, plus additional testing locations, sets the practical boundary for where robotaxi-derived pothole data can appear. The partnership is expected to expand to more cities over time, meaning the technology’s coverage will grow as Waymo’s service area expands.
Structured data intake for municipalities: By directing data to a platform designed for cities, the pilot potentially reduces friction between public reporting and municipal consumption. The program establishes an intent to make data readily available to cities for infrastructure planning and maintenance.
What to watch as the pilot expands
The pilot is structured with five initial markets and a stated expansion plan. Near-term indicators include the initial set of identified potholes—approximately 500 across those markets—alongside the stated plan for additional cities over time.
Key metrics to monitor include how the verification loop affects data quality and throughput, since Waze app users can help verify pothole locations. Another important factor is whether the platform’s city access model scales smoothly from the initial markets to any city or state where Waymo operates.
The pilot reflects a broader trend in mapping and navigation: platforms increasingly serve as distribution layers for sensor-derived information. In this case, Waymo’s robotaxi sensing and Waze’s city-facing platform converge to turn roadway observations into shareable, verifiable data for municipal use.
Source: TechCrunch