Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving vehicle subsidiary, announced it will start giving trips without a driver in San Francisco, aiming to catch competitor Cruise.
Initially, the autonomous trips would be available only to Waymo employees, the firm stated.
Waymo also revealed intentions to cover downtown Phoenix. Since 2020, it has offered autonomous rides in the Phoenix metro region.
Our San Francisco Trusted Testers taught us a lot in the previous six months, and our passengers have taught us a lot in the years since we launched our completely autonomous service in Phoenix’s East Valley,” said co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana.
Cruise LLC, a GM subsidiary, stated last month that it would begin delivering free autonomous trips in San Francisco until it had regulatory authority to collect fees. Softbank’s Vision Fund increased its investment by $1.35 billion.
Waymo, Cruise and Amazon.com Inc.’s Zoox have been testing their technology in the Bay Area for four to six years, including in San Francisco’s notoriously congested traffic. The firms’ attempts have relied on gas-powered or battery-electric cars outfitted with lidar and other sensors to identify other vehicles, people, roadblocks, and more.
In the case of a disengagement, safety drivers have had to take charge. Several companies have been granted permission to eliminate the safety driver under restricted conditions.