IN BRIEF
Garmin and Waze announced on 10 November a collaboration that lets drivers see cyclists nearby. A cyclist with a compatible Garmin Edge bike computer or watch shares their LiveTrack location, and the Waze app displays “Live Cycling Alerts”: icons that move along the road. Sharing is opt-in, set up in Garmin Connect, and lasts only for the duration of the ride. LiveTrack is free for users of a compatible Garmin device.
| Feature | Live Cycling Alerts in Waze, based on the LiveTrack location |
| For the cyclist | Compatible Garmin Edge bike computer or Garmin watch, compatible smartphone and the Garmin Connect app |
| For the driver | Waze mobile app |
| Activation | Opt-in, in Garmin Connect |
| Price | LiveTrack is a free feature |
Garmin claims the collaboration is a first in the industry. Garmin’s press release describes Waze as the community-driven navigation app used by 200 million drivers worldwide.
How Garmin and Waze flag cyclists
LiveTrack is the location-sharing feature Garmin already offers for following a ride remotely. The cyclist chooses to open it to Waze from the Garmin Connect app; this requires a compatible smartphone paired with their bike computer or watch. During the ride, Waze shows nearby drivers moving icons on the road, where Garmin cyclists are riding.
Garmin’s press release states that location sharing is temporary, limited to the session, and that the cyclist’s personal information is neither shared nor displayed in Waze.
What the two companies say
Susan Lyman, Garmin’s vice president of consumer sales and marketing, sums up the aim:
“This new tool is designed to foster a safer riding environment for Garmin customers by giving drivers valuable real-time visibility to their whereabouts.”
Susan Lyman, vice president of consumer sales and marketing at Garmin
For Waze, Gai Berkovich, VP and GM of the app, explains: “we’re giving drivers a helpful heads-up so they can slow down, stay aware and safely share the road”.
Garmin’s 10 November press release does not publish the list of compatible devices; Waze, for its part, announces a global rollout under way on Android and iOS.
