Google is expanding their Waymo service to the citizens of Phoenix, Arizona and will be able to order driverless taxis.
Waymo is an autonomous driving technology development company that developed a self-driving taxi service. It was tested by a selected group of Waymo consumers but it was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. The service will initially be available only to people who are early Waymo customers, and will eventually be available to all app users in coming weeks.
This project was originally planned to launch two years ago. Waymo has 600 cars and will be remotely monitored carefully, as well as having vehicle operators intervening in certain circumstances. The service will only be covering the Phoenix suburbs, an area of 50 square miles.
Automotive analyst, Chris Jones, stated that the company is now the leader in driverless technology and that the biggest hurdle currently is to be able to persuade people to get into one.
Waymo is currently testing their service in around 25 locations and will eventually expand its services to other cities in the US.
Photo by Sean O’ Kane from the Verge
News credit: BBC
