Free, real-time, crowdsourced traffic and navigation app, Waze, is to partner with Transport for London (TfL) to share data and improve its service in the UK Capital.

TfL becomes the 100th global partner – and the first in the UK - for the Waze Connected Citizens Program which is designed as a free, two-way data exchange to help cities to harness real-time driver insights to improve congestion, make better-informed planning decisions and reduce emergency response times.

The Program’s mutually-beneficial data share has had a measurable impact since its launch two years ago. From facilitating infrastructure planning in Rio de Janeiro to crisis response in Mexico, partners continue to develop new ways that Waze data can be utilised to best improve urban mobility. Notably, through reducing congestion in Boston, the program has helped speed up emergency response times in the city by four minutes.  Now,  in London, TfL will have access to and use the crowd-sourced data to help manage traffic for millions of motorists.

TfL will provide its real-time government-reported construction, collision and road closure data from its open API to Waze for the app to confidently and accurately provide information to drivers to enable them to plan their journeys.  It is hoped that this will be the first of many British collaborations.

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.”

Paige Fitzgerald, Head of New Business Development - Data Acquisition for Waze says: “Since 2008, Waze has evolved from a traffic app to the change agent in traffic and mobility innovation. Harnessing the insights of more than 65 million monthly active users, its Map Editor communities, and varied, data-driven enterprise partnerships, Waze continues to share its unprecedented knowledge base of traffic and driver insights to improve urban mobility across the world.”

To download the free Waze app for iOS or Android, visit www.waze.com/get