Waymo gets CPUC nod to launch auto taxi service in LA, SF Peninsula
Written by a human
Auto taxi company Waymo has received the green light from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in LA and the SF Peninsula.
Called Waymo One, the auto taxi service is already operating 24/7 across all of San Francisco and 225 square miles of Metro Phoenix. It is also currently operating throughout the Greater Los Angeles Region.
The rides are currently being tested in parts of the San Francisco Peninsula and will be initially available to the public primarily on the West Side of the Los Angeles County.
The service is powered by self-driving tech Waymo Driver, which has more than “20 million miles of real-world driving experience through countless situations.”
Commenting on the news, Waymo posted on X, “We’re grateful to the @californiapuc for this vote of confidence in our operations, which paves the way for the deployment of our commercial Waymo One service in LA and the SF Peninsula.”
Self-replying to their post, the self-driving vehicle company added, “This wouldn’t be possible without the ongoing support of our riders, community partners, and policymakers. We can’t wait to bring the benefits of the Waymo Driver to more riders in more places!”
On its webpage for LA, Waymo invites the county residents to join the waitlist for the auto taxi service. To get on the list, LA residents need to either download the app or sign up on the website, and they will be sent an invite code once they can ride.
The Waymo One auto taxi is not a total stranger for LA residents. On October 11 last year, the company offered residents of Santa Monica an opportunity to experience driverless car travel at no cost.
Santa Monica-based professional photojournalist and press photographer Fabian Lewkowicz uploaded two videos of the event on his YouTube channel.
In the following video, the photojournalist takes a test ride from his apartment to the iconic Santa Monica Pier.
Waymo began its journey in 2009 as the Google self-driving car project, becoming an independent self-driving tech company in 2016. The company’s early rider program began in Arizona’s Metro Phoenix area in 2017 and Waymo One launched in the Valley of the Sun the next year. In 2019, Waymo started offering fully auto rides to select riders in the Valley and the next year, opened up the service to all members of the Metro Phoenix public. The company’s story is available at https://waymo.com/about/#story.
Featured image has two joined images, with both having: Source: Waymo. Images joined by SN Digital
