Waze and Google Maps now prioritise routes with the lowest environmental impact

Not everyone is on board with this change.

If you rely on Waze or Google Maps every day, you may have noticed that route suggestions are no longer quite the same. As Le Journal du Geek reports, both services - widely used in France - are now putting forward journeys with the lowest environmental impact rather than automatically favouring the shortest options.

Why Waze and Google Maps are changing their route recommendations

This shift is not accidental. It follows decree No. 2022-1199 adopted by the government, which requires digital travel-assistance platforms to give greater visibility to the least polluting routes.

What decree No. 2022-1199 requires

The rule, now in force, states: “Digital services designed to facilitate multimodal travel highlight proposed routes whose impact is lowest in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.”

There is also an additional requirement: when a journey includes a section where the maximum permitted speed is greater than or equal to 110 km/h, the apps must offer an alternative that reduces speed by 20 km/h, our colleagues add.

Benefits, drawbacks, and how to switch back

On paper, this offers clear upsides for Google Maps and Waze users: you can see the carbon footprint of different options and choose a route with the environment in mind, with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions.

In practice, however, these alternatives will often take longer than before - something that is clearly not to everyone’s taste, judging by various online comments. Even so, users are not forced into the greener choice: it remains possible to switch back to the fastest routes via the settings.

Similar moves in Île-de-France

Le Journal du Geek also points to what happened in the Île-de-France region, where - ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games - Google Maps was asked to adjust how it works and to prioritise alternative routes. The intention was to prevent possible traffic congestion.

For its part, the “Île-de-France Mobilités” app is specifically designed to keep traffic moving and reduce traffic jams. Put simply, it does not necessarily propose the shortest route for you, but rather the one that best serves the wider interests of drivers and residents.

Laurent Probst, chief executive of the Île-de-France Transport Union, also told Ouest-France: “If they don’t do it, the State will have to take the necessary decisions. We will ask them to shut down their app. This is a matter of public safety.”

Have you already noticed these changes in Waze and Google Maps? Do you support them, or did you prefer the previous approach? Feel free to share your view in the comments.