Autonomous mobility firm and Cruise rival Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, is now offering driverless cab rides 24/7 throughout Los Angeles, California with the Waymo One service. Waymo started scaling its autonomous ride-hailing service in LA earlier this year, with nearly 300,000 people joining the waitlist. The trial period has gone well, with 98 percent of surveyed riders saying they were satisfied with the service and 96 percent calling it useful.
“Now is an exciting time to welcome everyone in Los Angeles along for the ride,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said. “Our service has matured quickly, and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving. We’re so grateful to all of our first riders in LA, and we can’t wait to serve more riders soon.”
The service area covers nearly 80 square miles of Los Angeles County, and Waymo intends to gradually grow that service area in the future.
The mobility company also touted its partnerships with local community partners to make transportation safer and more accessible. One of those is a nonprofit called She is Hope dedicated to empowering single mothers in LA.
“Riding with Waymo was an incredible experience – smooth, safe, and truly impressive,” She is Hope founder Tisha Janigan said. “When I rode alone and with some of our single mother families, we were amazed by the driverless technology and the sense of comfort it provided. Access to Waymo could be a game-changer for women we serve, offering a nonjudgmental, reliable transportation option that prioritizes safety.”
This news comes just in time for the Los Angeles Auto Show running from November 22nd through December 1st. Waymo is the official ride-hail partner of the LA Auto Show.
The news also comes shortly after the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced that it’s introducing stricter regulations on data reporting for autonomous vehicles in the Golden State. The new rule demands that autonomous vehicle companies file reports with the CPUC and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) simultaneously within one day of a given incident and provide “more comprehensive information, enabling better oversight and prompt responses to collisions.”
Comments
For riders, what are the many benefits of fully autonomous driving?
There is no one to open a door for you, there is no one to help you with your luggage, there is no one to help you with anything at all.
The ONLY benefit I see to autonomy is to allow seniors that have lost their faculties to get around by themselves. But are we anywhere near there yet? Fantasy. Maybe in another 30 and I’ll be gone by then.
Even then, would you really want an elderly person riding these things by themselves? I feel they would be very vulnerable traveling alone.
There is no benefit.
Sure glad I don’t live there, for this and a ton of other reasons.