Anyone in Los Angeles will be able to digitally hail a Waymo robotaxi starting Tuesday, but don’t expect self-driving cars to hit the highways.
Waymo announced Tuesday it would launch its Waymo One service in the county, but vehicle use would be limited to roadways, and the startup, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet, has been testing vehicles equipped with sensors for months. It’s here. This service is accessible 24 hours a day through the app.
Los Angeles officials are skeptical and are calling for increased vehicle safety oversight as future growth looms and unions raise concerns about job losses. But Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this year vetoed a bill that would have required self-driving car companies to report more data on crashes.
“This is an exciting time to welcome Los Angeles to the ride,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said in a statement. “Our services are rapidly maturing and passengers are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving.”
The company estimates its more than 700 vehicles make more than 150,000 trips each week in Phoenix, the Bay Area and Los Angeles. So far, Waymo operates about 100 robotaxis in Los Angeles and says it will gradually add more as it grows. Self-driving cars are part of the landscape in San Francisco, where the company has the largest fleet.
Since Waymo One debuted this year, nearly 300,000 people have signed up for the Los Angeles Waymo One waiting list and “hundreds of thousands” of trips have been made, Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli said in an email. stated in an email.
In Los Angeles, where traversing the city is a siege, vehicles that can’t drive on the freeways become a hindrance, making trips longer and potentially more expensive.
“We know that highways are essential for efficient movement across large service areas, and we will continue to vigorously test to bring highway routes to our passengers in the future. ” Bonelli said. He noted that autonomous highway driving is already being tested in Phoenix and San Francisco.
Such exercises are restricted in Los Angeles. On May 13, during one of these tests, a Waymo traveling on the 10 Eastbound Freeway near the Vandy Drive overpass was involved in a moderate crash, according to a California Department of Transportation report. According to reports, a car coming from behind the vehicle changed lanes and crashed into the left rear corner of the Waymo.
“It appears that our vehicle was traveling correctly within its lane when it was struck, and our self-driving experts manually drove the vehicle to the shoulder after the collision,” Bonelli said.
DMV records show Waymo crashes have been recorded since March 12, all of which were minor except for one on the freeway.
