Less than a year after Waymo began offering driverless taxi rides to a limited group of passengers in Los Angeles, the company has expanded its robo-taxi service throughout the city.
All you really need to reserve your futuristic ride is the Waymo One smartphone app.
“This is an exciting time to welcome everyone in Los Angeles on board,” Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, said in an official statement. “Our service is rapidly maturing and our passengers are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving. We are very grateful to all of our first riders in LA and will soon be serving many more riders.” I can’t wait to do it.”
Currently, Waymo vehicles can traverse nearly 80 square miles of Los Angeles County between Santa Monica and DTLA (only on surface roads, not highways). However, its geographic range is expected to expand further in the near future.
Provided by Waymo
How do Waymo robotaxis work?
Just over a year ago, we got to ride in a Waymo car when the company launched its Waymo One Tour program in Santa Monica and Venice. We’ve been (mostly) impressed ever since.
Photo: Provided by Waymo
“Riding in a self-driving car for the first time is anxiety-provoking, exciting, and strangely normal — basically in that order,” Los Angeles and US West editor Michael Giuliano wrote at the time. I wrote this while riding in a self-driving car. – Driving a few miles from the southern end of the Venice service area to Santa Monica and back again “Even if you’re driving a car with advanced assistive features on a daily basis, it’s a fundamentally different feeling to sit in the back seat. You can’t prepare for the fact that even the outside of the white Jaguar I-PACE feels strange with no one in the driver’s seat, and the rotating lidar unit on the roof that allows for 360-degree visibility. You can’t miss the camera (approximately the length of three football fields – degrees).
To hail a robotaxi, simply download the Waymo One app and follow the instructions. Please note that each vehicle can accommodate up to 4 passengers at a time.
How much does a Waymo ride cost?
Waymo’s ride prices are based on the distance and time of the trip, as do more “traditional” rideshare companies (like Uber and Lyft).
It’s difficult to compare the costs of different apps because prices change all the time, but Giuliano said that at the time he used the service, the prices “were pretty much in line with Uber and Uber’s base price.” I did. Of course, you don’t have to tip the robot driver.
It remains to be seen whether this will establish itself as one of the cheapest ways to get around Los Angeles. Either way, we’re excited to be part of the future of transportation.
