Current:Home > NewsWaymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Waymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles
View Date:2024-12-23 14:20:38
Waymo on Tuesday opened its robotaxi service to anyone who wants a ride around Los Angeles, marking another milestone in the evolution of self-driving car technology since the company began as a secret project at Google 15 years ago.
The expansion comes eight months after Waymo began offering rides in Los Angeles to a limited group of passengers chosen from a waiting list that had ballooned to more than 300,000 people. Now, anyone with the Waymo One smartphone app will be able to request a ride around an 80-square-mile (129-square-kilometer) territory spanning the second largest U.S. city.
After Waymo received approval from California regulators to charge for rides 15 months ago, the company initially chose to launch its operations in San Francisco before offering a limited service in Los Angeles.
Before deciding to compete against conventional ride-hailing pioneers Uber and Lyft in California, Waymo unleashed its robotaxis in Phoenix in 2020 and has been steadily extending the reach of its service in that Arizona city ever since.
Driverless rides are proving to be more than just a novelty. Waymo says it now transports more than 50,000 weekly passengers in its robotaxis, a volume of business numbers that helped the company recently raise $5.6 billion from its corporate parent Alphabet and a list of other investors that included venture capital firm Andreesen Horowitz and financial management firm T. Rowe Price.
“Our service has matured quickly and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said in a blog post.
Despite its inroads, Waymo is still believed to be losing money. Although Alphabet doesn’t disclose Waymo’s financial results, the robotaxi is a major part of an “Other Bets” division that had suffered an operating loss of $3.3 billion through the first nine months of this year, down from a setback of $4.2 billion at the same time last year.
But Waymo has come a long way since Google began working on self-driving cars in 2009 as part of project “Chauffeur.” Since its 2016 spinoff from Google, Waymo has established itself as the clear leader in a robotaxi industry that’s getting more congested.
Electric auto pioneer Tesla is aiming to launch a rival “Cybercab” service by 2026, although its CEO Elon Musk said he hopes the company can get the required regulatory clearances to operate in Texas and California by next year.
Tesla’s projected timeline for competing against Waymo has been met with skepticism because Musk has made unfulfilled promises about the company’s self-driving car technology for nearly a decade.
Meanwhile, Waymo’s robotaxis have driven more than 20 million fully autonomous miles and provided more than 2 million rides to passengers without encountering a serious accident that resulted in its operations being sidelined.
That safety record is a stark contrast to one of its early rivals, Cruise, a robotaxi service owned by General Motors. Cruise’s California license was suspended last year after one of its driverless cars in San Francisco dragged a jaywalking pedestrian who had been struck by a different car driven by a human.
Cruise is now trying to rebound by joining forces with Uber to make some of its services available next year in U.S. cities that still haven’t been announced. But Waymo also has forged a similar alliance with Uber to dispatch its robotaxi in Atlanta and Austin, Texas next year.
Another robotaxi service, Amazon’s Zoox, is hoping to begin offering driverless rides to the general public in Las Vegas at some point next year before also launching in San Francisco.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Fantasy football Week 11: Trade value chart and rest of season rankings
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Broken Lease
- Navajo Nation adopts changes to tribal law regulating the transportation of uranium across its land
- Women behind bars are often survivors of abuse. A series of new laws aim to reduce their sentences
- 2 Florida women charged after shooting death of photographer is livestreamed
- USA TODAY Sports' 2024 NFL predictions: Who makes playoffs, wins Super Bowl 59, MVP and more?
- Hello Kitty's Not a Cat, Goofy's Not a Dog. You'll Be Shocked By These Facts About Your Fave Characters
- Richard Simmons' final days: Fitness guru deferred medical care to spend birthday at home
- Target will be closed on Thanksgiving: Here’s when stores open on Black Friday
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Massachusetts state primaries
Ranking
- Advocacy group sues Tennessee over racial requirements for medical boards
- The Daily Money: Gas prices ease
- A measure to repeal a private school tuition funding law in Nebraska will make the November ballot
- These Target Labor Day Deals Won’t Disappoint—Save up to 70% off Decor & Shop Apple, Keurig, Cuisinart
- Texas mother sentenced to 50 years for leaving kids in dire conditions as son’s body decomposed
- Botic van de Zandschulp stuns Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in second round of US Open
- Sarah Adam becomes first woman to play on U.S. wheelchair rugby team
- Runners are used to toughing it out. A warming climate can make that deadly
Recommendation
-
Garth Brooks wants to move his sexual assault case to federal court. How that could help the singer.
-
As first execution in a decade nears, South Carolina prison director says 3 methods ready
-
Florida state lawmaker indicted on felony charges related to private school
-
NFL, owners are forcing Tom Brady into his first difficult call
-
Today Reveals Hoda Kotb's Replacement
-
Lululemon Labor Day Finds: Snag $118 Align Leggings for Only $59, Tops for $39, & More Styles Under $99
-
TikTok 'demure' trend is a masterclass from a trans woman on respect and kindness
-
Katy Perry Teases Orlando Bloom and Daughter Daisy Have Become Her “Focus Group”