Blue Light Maps vs TomTom

TomTom has been in emergency vehicles for years, from sat navs on the dashboard to BRIDGE units running Airbus ScGuide. Here is how it compares on the drive to scene, and what changes now that BRIDGE is being shut down.

Last checked

The short version

TomTom makes excellent navigation for drivers who must obey every restriction, and its truck routing knows your vehicle's size and weight. That's the problem on blue lights.

We found no emergency mode in TomTom's routing documentation, so bus gates, bus lanes and environmental weight limits stay closed. TomTom is also decommissioning BRIDGE on 31 March 2027.

Blue Light Maps routes with your exemptions, integrates with Airbus ScGuide and the Webfleet API, and is available inside Airbus SAFEcommand ScResponse.

01 At a glance

Side by side

Blue Light Maps and TomTom compared. TomTom details checked October 2026.
Emergency routing Blue Light Maps Emergency mode uses blue-light exemptions such as bus lanes, bus gates, restricted turns, contraflow and pedestrianised zones. TomTom No emergency travel mode is listed in the TomTom Routing API documentation. GO Expert profiles are described as avoiding low bridges and restricted roads.
Vehicle size and weight Blue Light Maps Profiles for car, van or carrier, patient transport and fire appliance. Height and width are always respected. Environmental weight limits can be crossed and are marked on the route. TomTom GO Expert and the Routing API take height, width, length, weight, axle weight and hazardous cargo. The Routing API docs say weight restrictions are considered whenever a vehicle weight is set. No exemption is described.
Speeds and ETAs Blue Light Maps Road speeds are learned from anonymised telematics of emergency vehicles driving on blue lights, so ETAs reflect response driving and routes favour roads that suit it: wider, with fewer turns. TomTom Built for ordinary traffic. Nothing in the material we reviewed describes speeds or ETAs based on emergency-vehicle driving.
Map updates Blue Light Maps Monthly responder map updates in each country we cover, including restrictions, addressing and marker posts. TomTom GO Expert lists weekly offline map refreshes. Webfleet lists seasonal map updates four times a year for its navigation.
Professional devices Blue Light Maps Runs on the phones, tablets and Windows devices crews already carry, plus CarPlay and Android Auto. TomTom TomTom BRIDGE will be decommissioned on 31 March 2027, with no recommended migration path. Webfleet sells PRO driver terminals running TomTom GO Fleet.
Dispatch integration Blue Light Maps Our own CAD API, support for the Webfleet API, and integration with MDT software. TomTom Webfleet's API sends destination orders to Webfleet driver terminals for route calculation.
Building it into other systems Blue Light Maps An SDK lets system integrators build Blue Light Maps into their own products. Airbus offers it in SAFEcommand ScResponse. TomTom TomTom offers developer APIs, including the Routing API.

TomTom details as published, checked October 2026. Sources below.

02 In detail

Which TomTom?

For an emergency service, “TomTom” can mean several things:

  • the free TomTom app, formerly AmiGO
  • GO Expert, the paid app that was TomTom GO Navigation and is now sold as truck navigation
  • a dashboard sat nav
  • a BRIDGE unit running a supplier’s software, as with some Airbus ScGuide deployments
  • a Webfleet PRO terminal, from the telematics business TomTom sold to Bridgestone in 2019

The routing question is the same for all of them.

What TomTom does well

TomTom has been making navigation for longer than most of its competitors have existed. Its lane guidance and traffic information are well regarded, its truck routing takes a full set of dimensions, weights and hazardous-cargo settings, and plenty of drivers already know the interface. For a vehicle that must obey every restriction on the road, it does the job well.

Why TomTom isn’t built for emergency response

There’s no emergency mode. TomTom’s Routing API lists travel modes for cars, trucks, taxis, buses, vans, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians. It doesn’t list an emergency mode. A response car gets a car’s route, through the same bus gates and restricted turns as everyone else.

Its speeds and ETAs are built for ordinary traffic. TomTom’s traffic and ETAs are built for the drivers it serves: commuters, hauliers and fleets. A vehicle on blue lights moves differently: it gets through traffic that a car would sit in, and it loses time on tight turns and narrow streets where traffic has nowhere to pull over. Blue Light Maps learns road speeds from anonymised telematics of emergency vehicles that have driven those roads on blue lights. That makes ETAs reflect how a response vehicle actually travels, and it steers routes towards roads that suit response driving: wider, with fewer turns.

Truck routing is built for hauliers. Set a vehicle weight and, according to TomTom’s own docs, weight restrictions are applied. That’s exactly right for a lorry. On blue lights, many weight limits are environmental, and many carry an emergency exemption, so a fire appliance gets sent the long way round. We’ve written about what that costs on a real job.

What happens to ScGuide on TomTom BRIDGE

Services that use BRIDGE units for in-cab navigation, including Airbus ScGuide deployments, need a plan before that date. Blue Light Maps already integrates with Airbus ScGuide. Airbus also offers Blue Light Maps inside SAFEcommand ScResponse through our SDK. Moving to it means changing the navigation, not the incident workflow your crews already know. It runs on the phones, tablets and Windows devices you already have, so there’s no new hardware to buy either.

Using Blue Light Maps with Webfleet

Webfleet, which TomTom sold to Bridgestone in 2019, sends jobs from the office to its PRO driver terminals through its API. Blue Light Maps supports the Webfleet API for CAD integration. If your dispatch or fleet system already sends jobs that way, it can send them to Blue Light Maps too.

Making the switch

The usual route in is a 30-minute walkthrough, then a trial in your own area with your own crews, and no commitment until you’ve seen the times for yourself.

03 Which fits

Who each is best for

Choose Blue Light Maps if

  • Your crews respond on blue lights and should be using their exemptions, including environmental weight limits.
  • You run ScGuide on BRIDGE and need a route forward before March 2027.
  • Your CAD or fleet system already talks to Webfleet, and you want emergency routing on the other end.
  • You want navigation on devices crews already carry, deployed through MDM.

TomTom may suit you better if

  • The vehicle is on non-emergency work, where every restriction should apply, such as fleet moves or support vehicles.
  • You want a dedicated dashboard sat nav rather than an app.
  • Hazardous-goods routing and ADR tunnel codes matter more than emergency exemptions.

04 Common questions

Questions about TomTom

Does TomTom have an emergency vehicle mode?

We found none. TomTom's Routing API lists travel modes for cars, trucks, taxis, buses, vans, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians, but no emergency mode. A response vehicle gets an ordinary route, through the same bus gates and restricted turns as everyone else. Blue Light Maps routes with emergency exemptions.

Is TomTom BRIDGE being discontinued?

Yes. TomTom's BRIDGE documentation carries a notice, dated February 2026, that the service will be decommissioned on 31 March 2027, with no recommended migration path. Blue Light Maps integrates with Airbus ScGuide and runs inside Airbus SAFEcommand ScResponse, on devices crews already carry.

Can a truck sat nav route a fire engine?

It can respect the engine's height and width, but truck navigation applies every weight limit it knows about. Many weight limits are environmental and exempt emergency vehicles, so a truck sat nav sends the appliance the long way round. Blue Light Maps crosses exemptable limits, marks each one, and never relaxes height or width.

Does Blue Light Maps work with Webfleet?

Yes. Blue Light Maps supports the Webfleet API for CAD integration, so a dispatch or fleet system that already sends jobs to Webfleet driver terminals can send them to Blue Light Maps too.

Sources

Everything we say about TomTom comes from their own published material, checked on the dates shown. Products change. If something here is out of date, tell us at hello@bluelightmaps.com and we'll correct it.

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