Getting around and finding your way in Costa Rica can be a frustrating exercise in orienteering, and that’s just on foot. When it comes to dealing with traffic in our poorly-kept roads, Tico drivers do the best they can to fight traffic and get to their destinations in a reasonable time.

The highway infrastructure and the corresponding traffic signaling scheme is improving, albeit at a very slow pace; which is why drivers in Costa Rica have turned to Waze, a free GPS application for smartphones that turns a mobile device into a handy navigator supported by a vibrant community of Tico drivers.

The CEO of the company behing Waze, Noam Bardin, recently sat down with Ellen Lee of the San Francisco Chronicle to discuss the app. When asked about where Waze seems to be catching on, Bardin mentioned that the app’s largest market is the United States, followed by some countries in Europe and Latin America. He also mentioned that, however, “users in places like Costa Rica have been actively mapping out the entire country themselves, just so that they can give others drivers access to Waze. It’s really incredible.”

The Waze Success

Mr. Bardin describes Waze as an ecosystem of drivers, amateur cartographers and traffic spotters that encourage each other to help find their way around, thereby making the app very meaningful.

The usefulness of Waze and the dedication of the Tico Wazers is evident with just one glance at the Waze Costa Rica Facebook page. Here’s a recent conversation that took place between Waze users:

– I’ve noticed something about Waze: It likes to take me on roads suitable for a 4×4 SUV

– That’s because some of us in Costa Rica who are mapping with Waze are not labeling roads as such, you should report it as an error so that someone else will correct it.

– Well, I program my Waze to take me home on routes that avoid traffic jams, but then it takes me on streets that are filled with potholes, and sometimes it takes me on really long drives, how can I fix it?

– You have to use the app frequently so that it learns your favorite driving patterns. Just remember, Waze is but a tool that does not substitute common sense; but the more you use Waze, the more it will understand who you are as a driver.

Social Media Mapping and Traffic Reporting

The social aspect of Waze is not lost on Ticos who use the app not only to get around, but also to cater to their own personal interests and connect with others.

Beating traffic is just one of the reasons why drivers in Costa Rica turn to Waze. Others see the app as a powerful mapping tool for the narrow streets of working-class communities like Hatillo, where the complex network of unmarked roads can be a nightmare to navigate. Hatillo is now 100 percent mapped thanks to Waze.

Waze is also useful for those interested in rural tourism. The picture accompanying this article was posted to Facebook by a Waze user who joked: “Light traffic reported on the skirts of the Turrialba volcano.” Such photo reports are helping others learn more about our country and visit “secret spots” that are not overrun with tourists.

The company has also managed to keep things lively on its Facebook page, as it has partnered with CRAutos.com to run question and answer contests each week, giving Tico Waze users the chance to win a free tank of gas (or diesel) for their cars.