Navigation app Waze has rolled out a host of new features ahead of the upcoming festive month, introducing the ability to talk to the app, a dedicated motorcycle option, and support for high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) routes.

With the ability to talk to the app, users are able to use voice commands to set their route, get a preview of the route, send reports, and add a pit stop – without having physically interact with Waze. This function is triggered by saying ‘OK Waze’, reminding us all that Waze is owned by Google.

‘Talk to Waze’ is currently only available in English-speaking nations, including the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, and New Zealand, but will roll out to other languages in the future.

For those that prefer to ride on two or three wheels, Waze has introduced a vehicle type dedicated to motorcycle riders. This feature comes with specialised routing catered to travelling on a motorbike, along with real-time road updates and alerts.

The final feature provides ‘Wazers’ with more navigation options and better estimated arrival times based on HOV, or carpool, lanes on their route. For those that are carpooling, they are able to share details about their special pass with the app, while those in a fuel-efficient car can select the option through vehicle type.

HOV route support is available in 22 markets across the US, and Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal in Canada. The markets in the US are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersay, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin.