The self-driving ride-hailing service offered by Waymo has advanced significantly. The organization, a division of Alphabet, the business that owns Google, revealed that it had begun providing autonomous SUVs to staff in San Francisco. The business has been developing autonomous vehicles that use safety drivers and Lidar sensors up to this point. waymo san francisco phoenixwiggersventurebeat.
Additionally, Waymo said that it would move its testing facility to Downtown Phoenix, Arizona. In a 50-square-mile region of suburban Phoenix, the business has been employing autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans with human backups since 2020.
The program will now be expanded to offer transportation to workers in a more central location, however safety drivers will remain on duty. The goal is to eventually offer autonomous trips to locals who sign up for a “trusted tester” program, though Waymo has not yet indicated when it could stop using human safety drivers.
In addition to Waymo’s expanding trucking operations, the company noted that operating entirely autonomously in numerous markets is “a significant validator of the scalability of Waymo’s operations and technology.” Since the announcement, no business has simultaneously operated completely autonomous ride-hailing services in more than one city.
Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov stated, “Our encounter in San Francisco and Phoenix’s East Valley, based on millions of real-world distance traveled and bolstered by billions of miles driven in simulation, is indeed directing our advancement in Downtown Phoenix and sets us ready for future growth of our fully autonomous ride-hailing service.
Before billing customers for autonomous rides in San Francisco, Waymo must obtain at least two more permits from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
Regarding whether it had requested the permits, Waymo refused to comment. It is believed that Waymo still needs approvals from the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission to be allowed to charge customers for driverless rides in San Francisco as part of that future expansion. All rides in the city have been cost-free so far.