Robots Taking the Wheel: Waymo Expands Robotaxi Service to Los Angeles and Austin
This week, Waymo’s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakan announced at SXSW that the Alphabet company will be offering its highly anticipated robotaxi service to the public in Los Angeles and Austin later this year.
“Opening up a robotaxi service means the public will be able to hail a ride in a driverless car via the Waymo One app. Importantly, Waymo will be able to charge for those rides.”
In preparation for this groundbreaking move, Waymo has been diligently testing and validating its driverless vehicles across approximately 43 square miles in key areas such as downtown, Barton Hills, Riverside, East Austin, and Hyde Park neighborhoods.
The first city on the list is Los Angeles, where the service will initially cover a 63-square-mile area from Santa Monica to downtown. The rides will be free at first, allowing Waymo to gradually onboard the more than 50,000 people already on the Los Angeles waitlist. The company also plans to distribute temporary codes at local events throughout the city.
“Unlike Texas, regulators in California require companies hoping to deploy commercial robotaxi services to attain a number of permits. The California Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission regulate the testing, deployment and ability to charge for rides.”
In Austin, Waymo will join its existing driverless services in Phoenix and San Francisco. But this expansion marks a major milestone as Austin will become the fourth city where Waymo operates a commercial driverless service.
The company has been making great strides towards achieving its ultimate goal of providing a safe, reliable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional transportation. In fact, Waymo has already begun letting its autonomous vehicles traverse Austin without a safety operator behind the wheel, a critical step before introducing the service to the general public.
By utilizing the Waymo One app, users will be able to hail a ride in a driverless car and, for the first time, pay for the convenience. This next-generation form of transportation is not only making the roads safer but also unlocking new territory for Waymo, including the route to San Francisco International Airport.
“The approval removed the last barrier to charge for rides in these expanded areas. Importantly, it opens up new territory for Waymo in one of the country’s largest cities and unlocks a route to San Francisco International Airport, which is located south of the city.”
While regulations in California are stricter, with both the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission overseeing the testing, deployment, and ability to charge for rides, the company has already received approval to operate a commercial service 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the city of San Francisco.
Before March 1, Waymo was only permitted to offer free driverless rides in select areas of Los Angeles. But with the CPUC’s approval, the company’s application now includes the expanded areas of San Francisco, the San Francisco Peninsula, and San Francisco freeways.
Without a doubt, Waymo is revolutionizing the way we think about transportation, and its innovative robotaxi service is just the beginning.
