Waze Brings Beacon Tech to NYC to Clear Tunnel Congestion
*By Michael Teich*
Waze is rolling out its beacon technology in New York City to improve tunnel navigation and help drivers commute in and out of the Big Apple.
The company is teaming up with New York's MTA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to install beacons in bridges and tunnels that are used to journey in and out of Manhattan. The launch follows installations in nine other cities around the world, including U.S. cities Chicago, Boston, and Pittsburgh.
"This allows us to basically locate the users inside the tunnels," said head of Waze Beacons Gil Disatnik in an interview on Cheddar Tuesday.
"With the beacons, we are to provide this continuous location throughout the tunnel."
Waze Beacons were invented in-house at Waze, and installations began in 2016. The technology brings navigation to drivers underground where GPS signal is lost. The microcontrollers, which transmit a Bluetooth signal delivering continuous underground coverage, have been added in the Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, Queens-Midtown Tunnel, and Hugh L. Carey Tunnel. Waze said nearly 4 million people use its app in New York City, but it does not monetize the beacons.
"There's no financial stake for us in this. We don't make money selling beacons," Disatnik said. "For us, it's really all about making traffic smoother and better for everyone, Waze users and non-Waze users alike. This technology is open for everyone to use."
Google ($GOOGL) acquired Waze in 2013 for $966 million.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/waze-rolls-out-new-tech-in-nyc-to-ease-traffic).
Much like all the upheaval shaking the world, the huge swings rocking Wall Street may feel far from normal. But, for investing at least, this is normal.
Joe Cecela, Dream Exchange CEO, explains how they are aiming to form the first minority-controlled company to operate an exchange in U.S. history. Watch!
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
