As councils face aging infrastructure and tight budgets, advanced technologies are transforming how road networks are inspected and maintained. The latest AI-driven monitoring systems can automatically flag defects (potholes, cracks, signage issues, vegetation overgrowth, etc.) from vehicle-mounted cameras, eliminating much of the slow, labour intensive manual survey work. These innovations let authorities adopt proactive, data-driven maintenance; exactly the kind of approach being encouraged by the DFT’s new PAS 2161 road condition monitoring standard.
This technological shift has opened the field to a range of new suppliers and solutions. Here, we explain the practical applications of AI-driven systems and highlight the benefits being realised by councils that have embraced this cutting-edge approach that is quickly becoming the norm. We’ll outline how the integration of rapid data processing and advanced analytics is not just meeting, but exceeding, the new standards and expectations set by industry benchmarks, like PAS 2161.
Next-Generation Inspection Standards
A recent Local Government Association guide notes that
“the latest scanning technology provides better, faster data on road condition”
and that
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) can analyse these images, flagging dangerous potholes and identifying small defects before they turn into major problems.”
As many will already know, PAS 2161:2024 requires local authorities to report road conditions using approved technologies and a 1–5 condition scale, beginning in 2026 – 27. PAS 2161:2024 represents a major change in how highway surveys are done in England. It replaces the previously mandated SCANNER vehicle approach with a flexible, multi-technology model that allows councils to choose from certified solutions. Importantly, local authorities can now choose from a list of DfT-approved survey methods, (including Route Reports) and must report their road data in a common “1–5” condition format. Local authorities have flexibility to pick the solution that suits them.
How Route Reports Works
Route Reports delivers an end-to-end AI monitoring system for road networks. The core component is a dash-mounted hardware module (camera + processing unit) that can be installed in any highway vehicle. As that vehicle drives its normal patrol route, the system captures high-definition video and immediately analyses it onboard using computer vision. Detected issues (potholes, cracks, faded markings, sign damage, overgrown vegetation, etc.) are geo-tagged and uploaded to a cloud platform in real time. A user-friendly dashboard (the “Route View”) then visualises each street’s condition, so engineers can zoom into specific defects or see trends over time.
This approach yields several practical benefits for councils:
Real-time updates and speed:
- Route Reports devices analyse and upload data in real time, with only a few minutes between driving past a defect and seeing it on the web-based platform. In other words, Route Reports turns every mile driven into an instant inspection, capturing defects that might be missed until the next scheduled survey.
Safety and efficiency:
Inspectors no longer need to stop in traffic or step onto the road to log issues. Cameras spot and photograph potholes from inside the vehicle, and inspectors will no longer need to step onto the road, making the process safer and more efficient. Every defect is logged with GPS, so minor problems can be tracked before they become serious. This hands-free operation also frees up staff to focus on repairs rather than data collection.
Broad coverage with existing assets:
- Because the system mounts on ordinary council vans or cars, it can capture far more coverage than an infrequent survey. Every time a highway patrol or inspector vehicle goes out, it automatically surveys the streets it travels. National Highways specifically cited this ease of deployment when they selected Route Reports for an innovation trial:
“Route Reports (London) is a video analytics-based road monitoring device that can be fitted to any National Highways vehicle in order to automatically detect hazards”
This fleet-based model means councils don’t need to schedule special scanning runs – the technology piggybacks on routine driving.
Integration and workflow synergy:
- The Route Reports platform ties directly into maintenance systems. For example, it offers interfaces with popular highway asset management tools (like Confirm and Symology) so that every detected defect can spawn a work order automatically. One client observed that the…
“streamlined integration between Route Reports and our Confirm system significantly reduces the time taken to carry out highway safety inspections”.
In short, data flows directly from AI detection into the teams that execute repairs, closing the loop with minimal extra effort.
- PAS 2161 compliance and procurement-ready. Beyond being PAS-certified, Route Reports is procurement-friendly. As a registered supplier on the UK government’s Crown Commercial Service G-Cloud framework, it’s easy for councils to purchase and implement. Being on this Digital Marketplace not only validates the technology, but also lets councils buy via established public-sector contracts. Route Reports helps councils maximise limited budgets as AI-driven inspections can complete work four times faster than traditional methods.
- Comprehensive data for proactive decisions. The platform doesn’t just give “good/bad” flags. It provides granular measurements (width, length, depth of each pothole) and time-stamped imagery for condition tracking. Over time, it builds up rich time-series data so authorities can analyse defect trends. This depth of information goes “beyond the minimum requirements” of PAS 2161, enabling more proactive maintenance planning (for example, predicting which road segments will worsen). In practice, the system’s speed and detail means that images reach the office in seconds and allow local authorities to see issues remotely.
Route Reports combines a lightweight hardware design with powerful AI to deliver continuous, automated road scanning. It covers only the local road network (unlike motorway-only schemes), but it does so with high detail and frequency. It even extends to railway applications, offering modules for track adhesion and seasonal inspections. By focusing on actionable roadway defects and tightly linking data to workflows, Route Reports aims to make AI inspection not just a novelty but a routine tool for highway teams.
Alternative Approaches
Route Reports is not alone in applying AI to infrastructure monitoring, but it stands out among a growing field of solutions. Broadly, the market includes:
Dedicated survey vehicles
Established surveying firms use Road Assessment Vehicles (RAVs) equipped with multiple sensors (LiDAR, high-res cameras, inertial profilers, etc.) to capture comprehensive data. These specialist rigs can collect extremely detailed information (even footways and roadside assets in one pass), but the downside is cost and infrequency: a council might only get such a survey done once a year, rather than continuously. The equipment and expertise required are substantial, so these services tend to be more expensive per mile. Given the worsening condition of many UK roads, increasing the frequency of surveys has a direct correlation with improved network health making traditional annual assessments less suitable for today’s maintenance demands.
Smartphone-based apps
Some services let a user simply install a phone app, mount the phone in any car, and drive around. The app captures video and automatically assesses surface distress. Such solutions are cheap and flexible, but generally require scheduling a dedicated drive-and-scan route and generally provide less detailed data.
Connected-vehicle big data
Some platforms fuse anonymous data from thousands of connected or mobile-car sensors to infer road quality. For instance it can aggregate vehicle accelerometer and GPS data to compute a “Road Condition Index”. It pairs this big-data index with targeted high-res imaging for calibration. This model excels at broad, continent-scale monitoring (needed for regional road networks), but still lacks the pinpoint defect detail of a camera-based system. It also requires many cars on the road to feed data.
Fixed infrastructure sensors
Technologies like embedded pavement sensors, permanent curb side scanners, or drone/UAV surveys also exist, but they are not yet widespread for day-to-day local-road inspections. (More common are traffic-monitoring cameras or weather-detection devices, which focus on different problems.)
The Route Reports Difference
Route Reports harnesses AI-enabled analysis in everyday highway vehicles to provide continuous, real-time monitoring - offering UK local authorities up-to-the-minute road insights that fit seamlessly into their operational workflows. Its benefits vs. alternatives are…
- Continuous, network-wide coverage. Unlike a one-off RAV survey or a single drive-by app run, Route Reports’ scans roads every time a vehicle drives them. Over weeks, this provides near-complete coverage of all routes where cameras are installed.
- Onboard processing for immediacy. The vehicle mounted device does analysis in seconds, so results are ready without waiting for end-of-day processing. This is faster feedback than smartphone apps, which typically batch-upload and analyse later.
- Fits existing patrol fleets. Installation is simple: any council van or car can host the device. There is no need to drive empty survey runs or invest in exotic hardware, as National Highways observed when trialling the system.
- Versatility (road & rail). Route Reports is one of the few platforms that officially supports both highway and rail asset monitoring on a single platform. This dual capability allows organisations that manage both modes to unify their inspection strategy and data.
- Government-backed integration. Included on G-Cloud and PAS 2161 approval shows a clear level readiness for public-sector adoption that few small startups possess. Streamlined procurement can reassure authorities that the tech meets official criteria.
- Proven track record. As of 2025, Route Reports technology is not hypothetical – it has been deployed and tested by numerous UK authorities.
Moving Forward: Practical Innovation That Works for Councils
As the highway maintenance landscape evolves, local authorities need solutions that not only deliver high-quality data, but also fit within the realities of their operational workflows. It’s no longer just about collecting information - it’s about turning that data into fast, safe, and coordinated action.
That’s been Route Reports’ focus from the outset. We’ve combined AI, hardware, and software into a single, council-ready platform that makes inspections more efficient, improves safety for teams on the ground, and enables faster response times. By embedding this capability into existing vehicles and connecting directly into asset management systems, we’re helping authorities move from reactive to proactive with minimal disruption.
The benefits are tangible. Councils report up to four times faster inspection rates compared to manual methods. Teams spend less time on foot in traffic, while gaining more detailed visibility across their networks. Some, like Surrey County Council, are already using these insights to stay ahead of emerging issues, fixing faults before they escalate and protecting road users in the process.
We’ve also been proud to work alongside forward-thinking partners, including those selected by National Highways, to explore how video-based AI can improve road condition monitoring nationally. These collaborations reinforce what we hear time and again: once councils see the system in action, the value becomes immediately clear.
In this context, AI is no longer a future ambition. It’s a necessary part of how modern highways are managed. The technology is ready. The standards are in place. And for councils looking to improve safety, performance, and decision-making, the opportunity to act has never been clearer.
Work with us
Want to find out more about Route Reports and see it in action?
Contact us today to arrange a one to one with one of our team, or view the live demo now.
Useful further reading
- Highways magazine article: Surrey gets ahead of the pothole game with switch to AI
- The Register article: AI pothole patrol to snap flaws in Britain's crumbling roads
- ITS International article: Managing road hazards is key to £90,000 competition
