Waymo and Waze Join Forces to Tackle San Francisco Potholes with Robotaxi Sensor Data

Waymo and Waze have announced a new pilot to give cities sharper tools to combat a common enemy of cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers: potholes. Using advanced onboard software, Waymo vehicles automatically track every pothole they encounter while driving through cities like San Francisco and San Jose. The pilot uses Waymo's perception and physical feedback systems to detect potholes, with the data made available to cities and state Departments of Transportation through the free Waze for Cities platform. The data will also be visible to Waze users, alerting them as they approach a pothole — and users will be able to verify Waymo-identified potholes, increasing accuracy. The pilot covers five initial markets: Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area, where Waymo has already identified about 500 potholes. Many cities currently rely on 311 reports and manual inspections to identify potholes, which can leave dangerous gaps. The idea reportedly came from city officials who shared feedback with Waymo over the years.