Hello Local Guides!
We are excited to share a new opportunity for our Local Guides community in India to make a massive impact on how millions of people navigate their world—not just on Google Maps, but across Google’s entire mapping ecosystem, including Waze.
As you know, major festivals and sporting events bring an entire country to life, but they also bring road closures and complex traffic patterns that can disrupt people’s ability to easily and confidently get around. We believe that with your local expertise, we can solve this challenge together.
The mission
The Waze team and Google Maps are partnering to pilot a new effort: We are looking for a select group of Local Guides in India to provide critical, planned road closures and traffic disruptions ahead of upcoming major events, starting with Holi and the IPL Cricket season.
This isn’t just about updating one map. The information you share will be reviewed by a specialized operations team and, if approved, will be published on both Google Maps and Waze. This means your local knowledge can help drivers on multiple platforms avoid traffic, find the best routes, and stay safe during the busiest times of the year.
Why join this pilot?
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Double the impact: Your contributions will directly improve the navigation experience for users across both Google Maps and Waze.
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Exclusive collaboration: Selected participants will be invited to a private Connect board led by our Google Maps and Waze teams to receive detailed instructions, ask questions, interact with each other, and access a dedicated reporting channel.
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Recognition: We want to celebrate your impact! Participants who successfully report approved disruptions ahead of the events will receive an exclusive email recognizing their contribution to this cross-community initiative.
Who are we looking for?
We will be selecting a specific group of Local Guides who:
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Are based in India.
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Are Level 7+ (preferred) and highly active contributors.
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May have access to reliable local information about upcoming road closures and traffic disruptions (e.g., from local news, municipal announcements, or direct observation).
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Want to help their community navigate better during Holi (early March), the IPL season or other major events causing traffic disruptions.
How to apply
If you are ready to be the eyes on the ground for drivers across India, please express your interest by filling out the form below by Monday (Feb 23rd):
> Interest Form: Traffic Events & Navigation Pilot - India
Note: Filling out this form expresses your interest but does not guarantee selection. We will be reviewing applications to select a specific group of eligible Local Guides to join the pilot private board.
Let’s come together to keep India moving!
Not in India? This initiative is currently a pilot program. We are testing this new collaboration process with a specific cohort to ensure we get it right before opening it up further. While we are launching in India first, we will be actively exploring opportunities to bring this to other regions in the near future.
Stay tuned to Connect for updates on future expansions!
will join this initiative! Let´s go!!!
