Waymo and Waze launched a joint pilot program that uses robotaxis to detect potholes and report their locations to city officials through the Waze for Cities platform.
Sensors and vibration detectors on Waymo vehicles identify road damage in real time. The data automatically feeds into Waze for Cities, a free portal used by more than 2,000 cities worldwide. Municipal crews can see the marked locations on maps and decide where to deploy repair teams. Waze users also see the markers and can confirm whether potholes remain.
The pilot launched April 9 in five metropolitan areas: the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta. Waymo reports finding approximately 500 potholes across these markets.
Most cities currently learn about potholes through resident complaints to 311 hotlines and manual inspections. The system works slowly and creates blind spots, particularly in smaller cities with limited staff.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan backed the initiative. The city already uses cameras on municipal vehicles to detect pavement defects, and Waymo data would provide an additional source, he said.
In San Francisco, Public Works spokesperson Rachel Gordon responded more cautiously. She called the project a useful tool but emphasized that “this is not the only way we identify pothole locations.” The city continues relying on its 311 system and aims to close requests within 72 hours.
Not everyone views the partnership favorably. Santa Clara County Board member Joe Cortese noted that Waymo still fails to coordinate with emergency services. Robotaxis paralyzed traffic in San Francisco in December. For many Bay Area residents, Waymo remains a source of frustration rather than a partner.
Burlingame City Council member Donna Colson sees the situation differently. Small cities with limited budgets value any data they can get, she said. “It’s easier for us to prevent road deterioration than to fix it later. It costs significantly less,” she told ABC7.
Waymo operates in San Mateo County, Santa Clara County and San Francisco. The company promises to expand the program to other cities over time, including regions with harsh winters where freeze-thaw cycles damage pavement particularly quickly.
The pilot also serves as a public relations move for Waymo. The company is expanding aggressively and plans to launch in more than 20 cities by 2026. Free pothole data offers a way to win over municipal governments that decide whether to allow robotaxis on their streets.