Discovery Pothole Patrol marks three-year milestone with 260,000 potholes fixed in Joburg

27 November 2024, Johannesburg – the Discovery Pothole Patrol recently celebrated their three-year milestone, with over 260,000 potholes repaired, mainly within the Johannesburg metro, since its inception. Launched in 2021, the initiative is a partnership between Discovery Insure and Avis Southern Africa, who have been working alongside the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and the City of Johannesburg (COJ).

The significant repair milestone has been achieved thanks to the ongoing partnership, as well as the public’s reporting of potholes via the Discovery Pothole Patrol app, which uses geolocation to allow users to log and report potholes within JRA’s jurisdiction. The Discovery Pothole Patrol deploys eight road repair vehicles daily to support the JRA’s efforts to repair the potholes.

“As an insurer, our ambition is to help create safe driving experiences. To realise this, we want to make our roads safer to use – for insured and uninsured road users alike, one pothole repair at a time,” says Precious Nduli, Discovery Insure’s Chief Commercial Officer. “A big part of Discovery’s mandate is to add real value to people’s lives; enabling safer and pothole-free roads is one way of doing that.”

Heatmap showing concentration of potholes repaired by the Pothole Patrol in Gauteng.

“If you think about the country’s many potholes, this initiative is making a dent – in a good way,” says Litha Nkombisa, Chief Sales Officer at Avis Southern Africa. “Avis Southern Africa is glad to be a part of this initiative because, like Discovery Insure, we also want safer, pothole-free roads for all Joburg’s road users.”

Pothole repairs are holding strong

So far, the repairs’ longevity has stood the test of time. The Discovery Pothole Patrol team runs ongoing checks on potholes repaired since 2021, “which are reported to have a repair success rate of over 99% in the last three years,” says Nduli. “Discovery Insure’s data also shows that, since inception, there has been a 67% decrease in pothole reported in the areas we operate in. This can be attributed to potholes being fixed proactively by the Pothole Patrol as well as a general reduction in the number of potholes in the areas that the pothole patrol operates.

There are different repair methods with varying results, but after a user logs a pothole on the Discovery Pothole Patrol app, an inspector is sent to its location. Where there is more than one pothole on the same road, the Discovery Pothole Patrol team takes the opportunity to fix potholes in the surrounding area of the reported pothole.

Pothole reports strongly correlate with rainfall

With the summer rainy season about to hit, making Johannesburg’s roads safer to navigate is even more critical. According to Discovery Insure data, the number of potholes reported are seasonal as existing damage is exacerbated by rain, and an increase in rain causes the roads to deteriorate quicker.

According to Discovery Insure data, the recurring pattern of pothole reports in Gauteng is closely correlated with seasonal rainfall.

The Department of Transport defines a pothole as a hole in the road that’s up to one square metre (anything bigger is not part of Discovery Pothole Patrol’s mandate). A pothole is usually formed by the deterioration of the road's surface. Cracks appear, which allow water to get between them.

“Imagine you're on the beach and you pour water from a jug, into the sand. It’ll create a deep recess; water in the cracks does the same thing as it displaces the base and creates a rut,” explains Nduli.

Nduli adds that the problem is worsened by heavy commercial vehicles driving over ruts, which often result in large holes forming on the road. “The asphalt surface doesn't have anything to press against, so it pushes down into the gap and breaks, resulting in the formation of potholes.”

Making a tangible difference

Nkombisa hopes that more businesses will be inspired by the Discovery Pothole Patrol’s sustained successes, so they will come on board to improve the City’s infrastructure, roads, and otherwise. “We believe an initiative like Discovery Pothole Patrol is making a tangible difference to the City of Johannesburg,” he adds.

For Nduli, Discovery Insure is proud to be part of a partnership with Avis Southern Africa that’s actively contributing to repairing roads. “Potholes are one of the biggest bugbears for Johannesburg motorists – with Discovery Pothole Patrol, Avis Southern Africa, the COJ, and the JRA, we want to change that,” she concludes.

To report a pothole in Johannesburg, simply download the free Discovery Pothole Patrol mobile app (available for iOSand Android), register, and then upload a picture or capture your location.

ENDS