Waymo is offering paid robo-taxi rides to Los Angeles residents starting Wednesday after being authorized by California regulators.
Despite the reluctance of local authorities who cited safety concerns following the difficult testing period for autonomous vehicles, more than 50,000 people are on the waiting list to try this futuristic adventure.
The company hasn’t revealed how many people will be able to use the app, but last month the tech startup – owned by Google parent Alphabet – said it was starting with a fleet of fewer than 50 cars.
The rental car service will operate similarly to Lyft, Uber and Flywheel – without a driver – and will cover a 63 square mile area from Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles.
“The reception from Angelenos so far has been exceptional and we look forward to welcoming more riders to our service over time,” Chris Ludwick, Waymo’s director of product management, told NBC.
The expansion of autonomous vehicles has not been without obstacles in the City of Angels with accidents during testing synonymous with their creation.
Concerns have deepened in recent months as seemingly every company behind self-driving cars has faced safety concerns — including Tesla, which recalled virtually all vehicles late last year over concerns regulators that its “autopilot” system was unsafe.
Meanwhile, General Motors’ Cruise company is the subject of several federal investigations after one of its robo-taxis dragged a pedestrian who had been hit by another car.
Safety concerns about self-driving cars grew last year when an online DMV report said a Waymo car “was engaged in autonomous mode” during a fatal crash involving a small dog “who did not survive”.
“A test driver was present” in the driver’s seat, but the vehicle’s automatic driving system (ADS) was in control, according to the May 2023 report.
As part of Waymo’s testing process in Los Angeles – which has been going on for a year – the company marketed the service and transported public passengers around the city in its fully autonomous white Jaguars for an invitation-only period.
The cars have already been on the road in Phoenix since 2018 and in San Francisco since 2021.
New York Post
