Waymo tests ‘rider only’ service and looks beyond robo-taxis

Waymo hasn't disclosed how many fully automated rides it has given, but has indicated it is still a small number. — Reuters

DETROIT: Waymo chief executive John Krafcik said the self-driving vehicle company is now offering limited "rider-only" trips in Phoenix, Arizona, and is looking beyond the robo-taxi business to generate future revenue, including delivery services.

Waymo, a unit of Alphabet Inc, has begun offering fully automated rides, without attendants in the vehicle, to a few hundred early users of its robo-taxi service in Phoenix, Krafcik confirmed on Sunday at a dinner with journalists ahead of a conference in Detroit.