Waymo Introduces Autonomous Ride-Sharing Service to Entire San Francisco Clientele
Waymo has launched a self-driving taxi amenity that is open to all patrons in San Francisco. The expansion of this autonomous ride-hailing service in the city that was previously only accessible to a limited number of passengers marks a significant development.
The Alphabet-owned company revealed in a recent blog post that nearly 300,000 individuals have registered for the service, named Waymo One, since the waitlist was initiated. Waymo instigated commercial passenger activities back in August subsequent to a trial phase.
Waymo stated in the post, “We are dedicated to the gradual and responsible growth of our service. We collaborate closely with municipal and state authorities, emergency response teams, and advocates for road safety to ensure that our service facilitates local communities in obtaining access to dependable, secure, eco-friendly transportation and contributes positively to mobility.”
This represents the company’s second comprehensive launch after Phoenix in 2020. Waymo One also operates in a constrained capacity in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas. As of February, the fleet for Waymo One comprises approximately 700 vehicles, including about 300 cars earmarked for its San Francisco operations.
Autonomous vehicles have encountered some public disapproval in recent times stemming from accidents and collisions. General Motors’ Cruise autonomous vehicle division paused all driverless operations in October following accidents that prompted investigations and the suspension of licenses in California.
On the contrary, Waymo has faced lesser controversies. The company boasts a substantial public relations unit and maintains close communication with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and local emergency responders.
Overall, the initiative that has been in progress for 15 years, rebranded as Waymo in 2016, has covered around 20 million fully autonomous miles and nearly two million paid ride-hail journeys, as per Waymo’s statement. The company mentioned that it has accrued 3.8 million rider-only miles in San Francisco by the end of March.
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