Waymo and Waze have launched a road condition data pilot that uses Waymo’s autonomous vehicle sensors to detect potholes and share information with cities through Waze for Cities and Waze navigation users.
The pilot program, announced April 9, 2026, uses data from Waymo’s commercial robotaxi fleet, including cameras, lidar, radar, and onboard systems, to identify roadway irregularities such as potholes and make that data available on the Waze for Cities platform at no direct cost to participating municipal agencies.
Waymo Robotaxis Feed Pothole Data to Cities Through Waze
Under the pilot, Waymo vehicles collect road condition data during routine robotaxi operations. This information is then transmitted to the Waze for Cities platform, a tool that partners with local and state transportation agencies to provide real-time road condition analytics.
Municipal agencies in service areas where Waymo operates, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta, can access this pothole and road condition information. The program aims to augment traditional methods such as manual inspection or public reports with automated data captured by vehicles continually traversing public streets.
Waze users in cities where the pilot is active also have access to pothole data collected by Waymo robotaxis. Where users confirm potholes through the Waze app, these validations contribute to the dataset available to city officials.
How the Waymo-Waze Data Pipeline Works
Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are built with a combination of cameras, lidar, radar, and motion sensors that support safe navigation. The same sensor suite captures information about road surface conditions such as bumps and depressions relative to expected roadway geometry.
Data processing systems convert these sensor readings into geolocated indicators of possible potholes. Once identified, those locations are made available on the Waze platform, where they can be reviewed alongside user-generated reports in the app. This system aims to provide a more comprehensive view of road health than reliance on public reports alone.
The pilot’s design allows transportation departments to view and export data for planning repair schedules and prioritization. While the program’s availability and reporting features vary by location, it represents a growing integration of private mobility data with public infrastructure management tools.
City Participation and Response
Transportation officials in communities where Waymo operates have shown varying reactions to the program. Some city leaders have expressed interest in access to automated road condition data, noting that it could supplement existing inspection efforts. Officials in Phoenix, Sacramento, and the broader Bay Area have acknowledged that supplemental data could help identify surface irregularities sooner.
At the same time, some infrastructure planners and public works experts note that data availability does not directly resolve underlying challenges such as repair funding or capacity constraints, which remain primary determinants of repair timelines and outcomes. These experts emphasize that road management requires resources and workforce planning beyond mapping alone.
Road Condition Mapping Beyond Potholes
Although the current focus is primarily potholes and similar surface anomalies, the data platform’s framework supports detection and reporting of a broader range of road condition issues captured by vehicle sensors. Waze users have long reported a variety of roadway hazards such as debris or hazards, and Waymo’s pilot adds additional automated input.
The integration of automated detection with user validation aims to refine the accuracy of reported conditions, helping transportation agencies target repair resources effectively. This type of data also provides enhanced context for navigation users, who receive alerts about roadway irregularities on the Waze app.
Implications for Urban Infrastructure Management
The pilot signals an evolving use of autonomous mobility data in urban infrastructure management. By contributing near-real-time road condition data alongside user reports, the initiative illustrates how private vehicle sensor networks can support public services without imposing direct costs on cities.
Cities evaluating the pilot emphasize that this data complements existing reporting channels such as direct public input and scheduled inspections, offering a broader dataset for understanding street conditions across extensive networks of roads and highways. Transportation planners continue to assess how best to operationalize these data streams within existing public works workflows and how automated condition mapping could fit alongside traditional asset management systems.
Future Program Direction and Expansion
Waymo and Waze expect to expand the pilot to additional cities and refine its data sharing over time. As deployment grows, the program could include additional types of road condition information derived from autonomous fleet operations, pending validation and technical integration.
Participation by a broad set of municipal agencies will determine how widely this model is adopted for infrastructure planning. Transportation officials and urban planners are evaluating the effectiveness and accuracy of automated road mapping as a potential recurring data input for maintenance schedules.
What Transportation Officials Should Know
City transportation leaders considering the Waymo-Waze pilot can expect a supplemental data source for road condition analysis accessible through the Waze for Cities platform. The system is designed to complement, not replace, existing inspection and maintenance processes by providing additional geolocated information on roadway surface conditions identified during regular autonomous vehicle operations.
As the pilot expands, integration with existing repair prioritization systems and asset management workflows will be key to realizing maximum value from the data sets generated by robotaxi sensor networks and user verification inputs.
