Waze and SpotHero Partner to Help Drivers Find Parking Faster

Leading navigation and parking apps work together to save drivers time and alleviate congestion

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With a record number of drivers expected to hit the roads this summer, Waze, the world’s leading traffic and navigation app and SpotHero, the #1 marketplace and mobility platform for off-street parking in North America, today announced a new partnership designed to cut travel time, minimize driver distraction, and alleviate congestion nationwide.

Newly published research reveals that more than half (54%) of motorists wish their navigation system would automatically guide them to parking near their destination. SpotHero and Waze are answering the call by linking their navigation and parking into a unified user experience. Made possible by the Waze Transport SDK, drivers can now book parking on SpotHero and then “Navigate with Waze” directly to their parking facility. Upon arrival, a single tap on the Waze map pulls up the SpotHero parking pass to access the garage, making switching back and forth between apps seamless and keeping driver’s attention where it belongs: on the road.

“Waze is on a mission to eliminate traffic,” said Adam Fried, Global Partnerships Lead, Waze. “By expanding our partnership with SpotHero, Waze can effectively move cars off the road and reduce congestion. With this initial integration, we’re joining navigation and parking into one user experience to make driving safer, easier, and more efficient.”

Cruising for parking creates traffic at a surprising rate: in the top ten US cities the average time spent searching for a parking spot is nine minutes per trip¹; thus, at an average rate of 10mph², cruising for parking can produce an extra 1.6 vehicle miles of travel per trip. In a city like Chicago, with 1.12 million car households making an average 2.24 driving trips per day³, the extra distance can add up to four million miles traveled daily.

“Waze and SpotHero share a mission to eliminate congestion,” said Elan Mosbacher, SVP Strategy & Operations. “By working together, we will get more cars off the roads faster and reduce the friction of switching between our parking and navigation apps.”

Last summer, SpotHero and Waze joined forces to help improve traffic in the City of Chicago. The companies wanted to help drivers navigate seamlessly along five miles of Chicago’s multi-level streets, where GPS services would often lose reception, hindering the driver’s ability to navigate to their destination and underground parking facilities. The signal blackouts not only created driver confusion, but could lead to traffic accidents. The City of Chicago, SpotHero and Waze installed 450 Waze Beacons along Lower Wacker Drive, Lower Lower Wacker Drive, Lower Columbus Drive, Lower Michigan Avenue, and other nearby locations. The beacons emit a Bluetooth signal that can aid navigation apps like Waze, and are available for use by all developers looking to make it easier and safer to get around tunnels and underground roads.

SpotHero and Waze apps are free to download and available for both iOS and Android devices. For more information, please visit waze.com or spothero.com.

About Waze

Waze is where people and technology meet to solve transportation challenges. It’s a platform that empowers communities to contribute road data, edit Waze maps, and carpool to improve the way we move about the world. Thanks to its passionate community, Waze is able to partner with municipalities and transit authorities to reduce traffic and congestion—leveraging current infrastructure while impacting city planning. Waze also works closely with tech and automotive brands to reimagine what transportation looks like today.

A world with better transportation doesn’t have to be in the distant future. By harnessing the full power of community to reverse negative trends in transportation, Waze can create a world where traffic is history.

About SpotHero

SpotHero is the #1 consumer marketplace and mobility platform for off-street parking in North America. SpotHero is curbing the rise of urban congestion by changing the way millions of people park every day. Using SpotHero’s portfolio of mobile apps and websites, drivers find, book and access a parking facility near their destination, eliminating the need to circle the block in search of parking. SpotHero’s platform enables leading mobility companies to build seamless parking experiences directly into their products. For more information, visit SpotHero.com.

¹INRIX

²Access Magazine

³AAA Foundation

Contacts

Lindsay Rand

LaunchSquad for SpotHero

spothero@launchsquad.com

617-945-1915