The Bucharest traffic would be 10-20% more congested if drivers didn’t use the Waze application, according to Romania’s communications minister Augustin Jianu, quoted by News.ro.

This is an example of the big impact such applications have on society overall, an impact which is not yet fully understood, Jianu said at the WeLoveDigital Forum organized by local business publication Profit.ro.

Waze is one of the most popular apps used by drivers in Romania. The app gathers information from drivers who use it while offering them the best routes at a certain moment, based on available information.

Augustin Jianu said he used the Waze app to get to the conference in time and asserted that the app has a major positive impact in making Bucharest traffic less congested.

In May 2016, Gabriela Firea, who was running for the mayor seat in the Bucharest local elections, said she planned to use the Waze app to improve the city’s traffic management. Firea was elected mayor but hasn’t been able to solve the Bucharest traffic problems yet.

The traffic in Bucharest is among the most congested in the world, according to a study by GPS navigation systems manufacturer TomTom.

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editor@romania-insider.com