Waymo has announced that it now provides more than 50,000 paid rides every week in the three major US cities where its robotaxi service of autonomous driverless cabs currently operates.
The Alphabet subsidiary shared this figure on the X social network. The company operates its Waymo One service 24/7 in San Francisco, Phoenix and, more recently, Los Angeles. Note that 50,000 trips per week corresponds to around 300 reservations per hour. Since the start of its activity, Waymo claims to have carried out more than one million rides with passengers.
Fully autonomous ride-hailing is now a reality, and is becoming increasingly popular, at least in some US cities. In the near future, Waymo is set to deploy its autonomous cabs in New York, after receiving the green light from the mayor. The specifications will be strict, however, with the need to have a safety driver constantly seated behind the wheel, capable of immediately taking over the driving if necessary, and for the reporting of any such incident. Then, the next step is freeways. Waymo has obtained authorization to run its driverless vehicles on certain stretches of freeway in Phoenix, Arizona.
Today, Waymo is the benchmark operator of robotaxis in the US, especially after the setbacks experienced by Cruise, its major competitor, which had to park its autonomous vehicles after being banned from driving due to several road accidents. Another company, Aurora, also operates its own autonomous cabs in several American cities. – AFP Relaxnews
