TFL and app Waze join forces to give Londoners live traffic updates on their phones

Tim Graham/Getty Images
Saphora Smith12 October 2016

Transport for London has backed an app aimed at bringing real-time traffic updates to the capital's drivers.

Waze, the world's largest crowd-sourced traffic and navigation tool, is working with TfL to promote their free app,which can be used by the capital’s drivers to share traffic information.

Waze says it hopes the partnership will also allow the emergency services to find the quickest routes to their destinations.

Phil Young, Head of Online at TfL, said: “Getting the latest traffic information direct to drivers when and where they want it is key to enabling them to avoid delays. We have a wealth of open data available and by working with Waze and joining the global Connected Citizens programme, we can not only ensure London’s road users have the information they need to plan their journeys, but we can also draw in more data to help us manage London’s busy road network.”

In return for its services Waze will has access to the crowd-source traffic data from London drivers and TfL will share information on works and road closures.

Founded in Israel a decade ago, Waze came to the UK since 2011 and soon after it was bought by Google. Its partnership with TfL marks its first local government partnership in Britain.

The app works much like a normal GPS, using voice automation to guide a driver to their destination. But it also allows drivers to share information during their journey – data which it then collates to inform other road users of traffic on the roads.

To flag up traffic information drivers simply have to tap a ‘report’ button on their app which then allows them to choose from several options such as collisions and traffic light failures. Waze has an inbuilt function stopping people changing their route while the vehicle is moving.

Using mobile phones while driving is illegal in the UK.

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