"Waymo is offering freeway rides to select riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, starting Wednesday, positioning the Alphabet company as the only fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the US taking public passengers on high-speed roads. The move is a critical milestone for Waymo. The robotaxi company has been testing fully autonomous rides on public freeways with employees for more than a year. Opening freeway routes to its paid service signals that the company believes its autonomous system is safe enough for public riders."
"Freeway access could also make Waymo a stronger ride-hailing competitor within its respective coverage areas; Waymo's robotaxis will take some of the same routes that human drivers typically take, resulting in more efficient commute times. During a demonstration with Waymo on Friday afternoon near San Francisco, I took a brief ride that would have taken an extra 17 minutes in a Waymo robotaxi unable to access the 101 freeway."
Waymo will begin offering freeway rides to selected Trusted Tester members in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, enabling fully autonomous travel on high-speed roads. The service expansion follows more than a year of public-freeway testing with employees. Waymo frames safety as the top priority while opening freeway routes to paid riders. Freeway access is expected to shorten commute times and increase competitiveness within covered areas by using common highway routes. The initial freeway rollout excludes Austin and Atlanta due to an existing partnership with Uber, while Bay Area fleet size will exceed 1,000 robotaxis.
Read at Business Insider
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