Waze South Africa - A Community App Helping Us All Avoid Potholes!

Yes, you can drive with voice navigations from Christina Aguilera, Paw Patrol, or a 70's dance instructor, but Waze in South Africa plays a much bigger role in helping us get around and avoid potholes. I recently travelled to Dullstroom and was warned by numerous friends that the roads were terrible and potholes were everywhere. The reality is that this couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, there were a few potholes on the R540 (the road between Belfast and Dullstroom), but apart from that, it was a really good drive. I replied to a friend and said Joburg's roads were far worse, and I was thankful that we were using Waze. In 2021, the Johannesburg Roads Agency estimated that Joburg had between 48,000 to 90,000 potholes in need of repair, but a free App called Waze - which is driven by the community - can help us all avoid having to buy new tyres!

Photo Cred: Waze

Millions of South Africans are using Waze daily, helping us all avoid potholes!

Johannesburg, South Africa (16 May 2022) – Yes, you can drive with voice navigations from Christina Aguilera, Paw Patrol, or a 70’s dance instructor, but Waze in South Africa plays a much bigger role in helping us get around and avoid potholes.

I recently travelled to Dullstroom and was warned by numerous friends that the roads were terrible and potholes were everywhere. The reality is that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, there were a few potholes on the R540 (the road between Belfast and Dullstroom), but apart from that, it was a really good drive. I replied to a friend and said Joburg’s roads were far worse, and I was thankful that we were using Waze.

In 2021, the Johannesburg Roads Agency estimated that Joburg had between 48,000 to 90,000 potholes in need of repair, but a free App called Waze – which is driven by the community – can help us all avoid having to buy new tyres!

Waze South Africa - A Community Helping Each Other Avoid Potholes! — The potholes around Joburg | Photo Cred: Waze Screengrab

The App is a subsidiary of Google – so it uses Google Maps – but it has the ability to direct users based on crowdsourced information.

Wazers are able to report a multitude of traffic-related incidents, from accidents to police traps and dreaded potholes! Waze uses this data to help other users either by alerting them of the condition ahead or rerouting the user to avoid the area entirely. In addition to user input, Waze relies on information from state agencies for traffic events such as road construction. The idea behind this is that the more people that provide data, the more accurate it will be.

Basically, the crowdsourced information gets you to where you need to be faster and safer!

But that’s not all.

The company has introduced a feature called Carpool which they are rolling out globally, where you can split costs and share rides with friends/colleagues and neighbours.

While Ride Sharing isn’t new, Ride Share apps are a new way to share rides and share the costs of commuting. Waze Carpool lets you drive or ride with people already going your way. Drivers and riders with similar commutes to work or school can team up and ride together through the app. Unlike taxi apps like Uber or Lyft, Waze Carpool does not pay drivers or charge a commission on rides.

So even though Carpool is not available in South Africa yet, Waze is, and millions of South Africans are using the App daily, helping us all avoid potholes!

For more information, or to download the App, click here.