Friday 11 November 2022 10:17 PM Waymo's driverless robotaxis can now be hailed by ANYONE in downtown ... trends now
Waymo has opened up its fully driverless ride-hail service in downtown Phoenix to all members of the general public in a significant expansion of the technology in a major city.
The news comes a day after Waymo secured its driverless deployment permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which allows Waymo to charge for autonomous services, such as delivery, in San Francisco -- and it's a step toward full driverless taxi deployment in the Golden State.
The company, a subsidiary of Google's parent Alphabet, had previously been operating the driverless service in downtown Phoenix only for people in its 'trusted tester' program.
Trusted testers were prohibited from sharing their experiences on social media or with journalists and had to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
Waymo has opened up its fully driverless ride-hail service in downtown Phoenix to all members of the general public in a significant expansion and a sign that the firm is committed to commercial viability of the technology
The news comes a day after Waymo secured its driverless deployment permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which allows Waymo to charge for autonomous services, such as delivery, in San Francisco
Waymo's offering in downtown Phoenix will allow anyone who downloads the app and hails a ride in Waymo's service area to pay for what the company calls a 'rider-only' experience in one of its fleet of Jaguar I-Pace EVs.
Earlier this month, Waymo also launched rides - with a driver in the front seat - to Phoenix's airport from the city's downtown, according to TechCrunch.
The company currently has over 700 vehicles in its fleet, which includes a mix of Jaguar I-Pace EVs and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans as well as the Class 8 trucks.
Most of these vehicles are located in Arizona, California and Texas - and are
