Alphabet-owned Waymo has opened up its fully autonomous cars to everyone in Los Angeles. Previously, due to service restrictions, robotaxi was only available in Phoenix and San Francisco. Now anyone in the region can take a ride in a driverless car by downloading the Waymo One app.
Image source: waymo.com
Despite the removal of restrictions on access to the service, some geographical restrictions remain. At the moment, the service is only available within 80 miles (207 km) of Los Angeles County (California, USA), including areas such as Hollywood, Chinatown, Westwood and others, The Verge reports. This limitation stems from the fact that to operate a self-driving taxi safely, each new territory must be thoroughly explored, but Waymo’s confidence in the technology is growing, as evidenced by a record round of investment of $5.6 billion to support the next stage of growth of the business.
Image source: waymo.com
After the initial launch in Los Angeles, it took less than a year before Waymo opened access to all users. Testing began in the fall of 2023, and in March 2024 the service became available to the first customers. Waymo began charging for rides in April, having since completed 150,000 paid rides and driven more than 1.5 million miles.
At the same time, Waymo faces competition from companies like Uber and Lyft, which do not have geographic restrictions. These services are often cheaper and have shorter wait times for rides. Waymo also doesn’t yet provide rides to the local LAX airport or use highways, which could limit the service’s usefulness in a city where personal transportation is in high demand. The company has not yet announced when it plans to include airports and highways in the route.
Despite this, Waymo does have its advantages. Users appreciate the ability to customize rides, including selecting music and adjusting cabin temperature. “Now is a great time to invite everyone in Los Angeles on our journey,” said Tekedra Mawakana, CEO of Waymo. “Our service is developing rapidly, and our passengers have appreciated the many benefits of fully autonomous driving. We are grateful to all the first passengers in Los Angeles and look forward to serving even more customers in the near future.”