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Waymo and Waze Use Self-Driving Cars to Map Potholes in Five Cities

Philadelphia awaits state approval for driverless operation before joining.

Overview

  • Waymo and Waze launched a pilot that uses autonomous vehicles to spot potholes and post their locations in Waze for Cities and the Waze app.
  • The companies say roughly 500 potholes have been logged across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and metro Atlanta.
  • Waze will alert drivers as they approach reported road damage and lets users confirm if a hole remains or has been filled.
  • In Philadelphia, Waymo cars currently operate with a human monitor, and the company plans to add the pothole feed after the state permits fully driverless service.
  • Freeze–thaw cycles have driven heavy repair needs in Philadelphia, with 60,000 fixes in 2025 and 26,000 so far this year, and the mayor proposed a 25-cent delivery tax to fund a 24-person pothole squad.