Waze Becomes First Navigation App to Support Carpool Lanes

[MacRumors]

Waze today announced it is rolling out three new features in its popular crowdsourced navigation app for iOS and Android, the most notable of which is support for high occupancy vehicle lanes, also known as carpool lanes.

Image via TechCrunch​

If you are driving with at least one passenger, or have a hybrid or electric vehicle with a special permit, Waze will now take carpool lanes on highways into consideration when determining your optional route.

If you are carpooling, the feature can enabled under Navigation > Add Toll/HOV pass within Waze's in-app settings. If you have a fuel-efficient vehicle, it can be selected as an option under Navigation > Vehicle Type.

Carpool lane support is initially available to Waze users in 22 states across the United States, and in the Canadian cities of Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. More cities in the United States and Canada will be added over time.

The states supported include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Washington D.C. is also supported.

Next, a new "OK Waze" voice command allows for true hands-free use, allowing drivers to initiate navigation, get a preview of the route ahead, send traffic-related reports, add stops along the way, and more while staying focused on the road ahead. The feature can be enabled under Sound & Voice > Talk to Waze > OK Waze.

Talk to Waze is initially available to English-speaking Waze users in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, and will continually roll out in more languages soon.

Last, Waze now supports motorcycles as a vehicle type. In this mode, motorcycle riders will be directed on routes optimized for motorcyclists. Waze says the more motorcyclists ride in this mode, the smarter the routing will become.

Waze is a free download on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone. Today's update doesn't appear to be available yet, although "OK Waze" functionality is working, so some changes may be implemented on the backend.

Article Link: Waze Becomes First Navigation App to Support Carpool Lanes

 

[topgunn]

Dear Tim,

Please allow Waze to integrate with CarPlay.

Thanks.

 

[Menel]

This feature has been working for me for several weeks now.

 

[BJB Productions]

I've been a loyal Google Maps user for many years. The reason I don't use Waze is because I want to minimize my distractions while driving. I've been hoping since Google owns Waze (I think?), perhaps they would one day merge apps or at least merge more features.

 

[dfstock]

I'm glad someone is still innovating. It keeps the others on their toes and makes them have to catch up. I'm still thrilled Apple maps has added the feature telling you which lane you have to be in.

 

[ViDeOmAnCiNi]

It seems like Waze takes into account HOV lanes that are timed (you have to have 2 people from 6:00-9:00AM and 3:00pm to 7:00pm M-F, but other times and weekends are open to anyone)...? I am in AZ and I notice that before 3:00PM it offers me the HOV lane so I can use the HOV fly-over ramps to make my commute better. I cannot verify that Waze is doing this intelligently and not just because I usually use the HOV lanes outside of restricted hours...

Maybe someone from Waze can verify this?

 

[CylonGlitch]

No car play support, no Waze for me. This is not Apple (Tim), topgunn, but Google who won't make it interact, it is strictly the android's car play equivalent. .

 

[QuarterSwede]

No car play support, no Waze for me. This is not Apple (Tim), topgunn, but Google who won't make it interact, it is strictly the android's car play equivalent. .

Actually, Apple won’t allow other navigation apps on CarPlay.

 

[topgunn]

No car play support, no Waze for me. This is not Apple (Tim), topgunn, but Google who won't make it interact, it is strictly the android's car play equivalent. .

I believe it is Apple because there are zero navigation apps supported by CarPlay. Apple seems to have made a decision to not allow other navigation apps, probably because of increased liability.

 

[valkraider]

I don’t think Waze is the first to do this, I have seen it in my other apps as well. One even asks me when I plan a route if I want to use HOV lanes for this trip.

 

[Westside guy]

I have, over the past several years, repeatedly tried to use Waze’s voice commands... but I always end up turning it off because it has never worked even marginally well for me (even following their very proscribed command syntax to a tee). I wonder if this time will be any different?

Also, Waze has been sporadically recommending carpool lanes to me for months now - at odd times, and with no way to disable it (annoying, since when I do drive it’s generally alone). Hopefully that’ll stop with this update.

 

[adamjackson]

Waze Becomes First Navigation App to Support Carpool Lanes

????

This is the TomTom Application. It's also free and supports HOV lanes.

 

[oneMadRssn]

I've been a loyal Google Maps user for many years. The reason I don't use Waze is because I want to minimize my distractions while driving. I've been hoping since Google owns Waze (I think?), perhaps they would one day merge apps or at least merge more features.

No please no. Google ruins every app they acquire and merge into their own. Waze is ugly but so so useful, I want it to stay independent of Google forever.

I believe it is Apple because there are zero navigation apps supported by CarPlay. Apple seems to have made a decision to not allow other navigation apps, probably because of increased liability.

The CarPlay API is super limited, and does not allow for any navigation apps to tie into it yet. Indeed, if you look at the developer site, it's clear third-party apps can really only do three things in carplay - audio (music, podcasts, etc.), messaging and calls (VoIP, texting), and car specific apps to control heating, a/c, defroster, etc.

 

[adamjackson]

Dear Tim,

Please allow Waze to integrate with CarPlay.

https://developer.apple.com/carplay/human-interface-guidelines/overview/introduction/

For now, Apple still has to allow 3rd party navigation applications. Audio and VoiP only for now.

 

[Juicy Box]

This is not Apple (Tim), topgunn, but Google who won't make it interact, it is strictly the android's car play equivalent.

Because Apple can do no wrong right?

I don't know if it Apple or Google that is preventing Waze from going to CarPlay, but considering that CarPlay only has one Nav app, Apple's Maps, I am thinking it is Apple's doing.

 

[Ragnar51]

What a great app, I was just about to spend upwards of 100 bucks to get the maps etc. updated on my 2016 Traverse's GPS when someone showed me WAZE. It's just amazing!!

 

[Sasparilla]

What a great app, I was just about to spend upwards of 100 bucks to get the maps etc. updated on my 2016 Traverse's GPS when someone showed me WAZE. It's just amazing!!

It is very slick especially when you are first exposed to it...user supplied alerts for stoplight cameras and police stops are awesome.

 

[GIZBUG]

still too many damn ad's in the app. They can roll out all these "new" features that they would like, but until the annoying ad's are gone, it will be sub-par compared to other apps.

 

[techno-Zen]

No carplay no care

 

[one more]

What a great app, I was just about to spend upwards of 100 bucks to get the maps etc. updated on my 2016 Traverse's GPS when someone showed me WAZE. It's just amazing!!

You can also try Google Maps and Apple Maps. Out of the three, Waze’s major shortcomings, in my experience, are coming up with backward routes and general information overload. It also suffers from too many false positives that keep on lingering long after the problem on your route had been resolved. Google is less cluttered in comparison and allows you to save maps before your trip if you travel through patchy areas. Apple Maps are the prettiest and come up with very smooth routes, yet take quite a while to reflect new road layouts (months vs weeks like Waze). None of the three are perfect, so you could try all three of them in your area to see which one works best for you you.

 

[C DM]

????

This is the TomTom Application. It's also free and supports HOV lanes.

What does that show as far as trip planning support for HOV lanes?

 

[adamjackson]

What does that show as far as trip planning supoort for HOV lanes?

It gives you the choice to take HOV lanes warning that various restrictions can apply (such as requiring 2+ people in the car). Then when you are approaching a section where an HOV is divided or above grade (floating over the main non HOV freeway), it'll tell you to keep left or right so to ensure you don't miss the HOV lane. If you choose to avoid HOV lanes, nothing changes.

I haven't done definitive tests on ETA depending on which I choose nor does the app show you the time difference like Waze does therefore encouraging HOV use. It's just an option w/o being pushy about it. If you enable "avoid HOV" it will never offer it up similar to avoiding toll roads.

 

[valkraider]

What does that show as far as trip planning supoort for HOV lanes?

It proves Waze wasn’t the first to do it, as the headline incorrectly implies.

 

[C DM]

It proves Waze wasn’t the first to do it, as the headline incorrectly implies.

And my question was what shows that on that screenshot and what does it do in that app (to which the poster who brought it up replied above).

The screenshot on its own didn't really "prove" anything, especially as far as how HOV is considered in trip planning (and in particular in providing the options for the most optimal route with ETA being adjusted for HOV use).

 

[mikeyteh]

It proves Waze wasn’t the first to do it, as the headline incorrectly implies.

Actually, what Waze does for the first time is provide a different ETA for using HOV lanes as opposed to standard.