Waymo, the self-driving car service from Alphabet, expanded its reach in Los Angeles by granting autonomous vehicles access to all residents of the city. After testing its services with select users since March, Waymo is now making its robotaxi service available to everyone in L.A.. The access waitlist, once 300,000-strong, is now a thing of the past.
What’s Happening & Why This Matters
Waymo’s expansion into the Los Angeles market is significant for the company. With nearly 80 square miles (207.2 square kilometers) of L.A. County covered, the service is now available in a portion of the city. Waymo has plans to expand further. While it started with a select group, including paying customers, Waymo’s self-driving cars have already racked up hundreds of thousands of paid trips. The paid trips earned an impressive average of 4.7 out of 5 stars from users. The company’s customer satisfaction is high. A recent survey revealed that 98% of L.A. riders are happy with the service.
Waymo’s launch is also notable since Los Angeles is the second-largest city in the U.S. by population. The company has raised $5.6 billion in its latest funding round to accelerate L.A. market expansion and other cities including Buffalo, New York, and Washington, D.C. The goal is to scale autonomous service and grow its fleet, expanding the service area across more parts of the city. Currently, Waymo’s vehicles operate in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin offering more than 150,000 rides per week across its markets.
While Waymo’s autonomous rides provide smooth experiences for users, there are still hurdles to overcome. The cars currently do not have access to freeways nor can they offer rides to and from LAX. The company is working to address these issues. Despite these small setbacks, Waymo is clearly gaining momentum in autonomous transportation.
TF Summary: What’s Next
Waymo’s expansion across Los Angeles is a measurable milestone in bringing autonomous taxis to more people. With plans for further growth and a healthy injection of funds, it’s clear that scaling availability is the next serious goal. As Waymo fine-tunes its operations, L.A. residents will see more self-driving vehicles on their streets. Maybe you’ll flag down one of these hands-free rides and experience the vision for urban transportation.
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