Waymo is expanding its operations to offer fully autonomous ride-hailing services in Austin and Los Angeles.
From 14 March, its fully autonomous ride-hailing services have been made available to select members of the public in Los Angeles.
In addition, after initial rider-only testing commencing in Austin last week, the company plans to offer Waymo One in the city later this year.
This news was shared by Waymo co-CEO, Tekedra Mawakana at SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO at Waymo said:Once an unimaginable future, autonomous driving is now a real-world way of getting around for tens of thousands of people each week. After achieving key milestones in each city, we're so excited to bring the safety, comfort and delight of our Waymo One service to more people in Los Angeles and Austin this year.
Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, Waymo is offering rides in a 63-square-mile area from Santa Monica to Downtown LA. These operations will then be scaled up over time.
Initial Waymo rides in the city will be free. The company will then start transitioning to paid services in the coming weeks thanks to the California Public Utilities Commission’s recent approval.
Waymo will permanently welcome riders to use this service by gradually onboarding more than 50,000 people on its LA waitlist. It will also continue to hand out temporary codes at local events.
Austin
In Austin, Waymo is testing fully autonomous rides across 43 square miles of the city, including the heart of downtown, Barton Hills, Riverside, East Austin and Hyde Park.
Currently, it is providing rides to Waymo employees before opening Waymo One to members of the public later this year.
With this expansion, Waymo One will be offering rides to the public in four major US cities: Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin.
