Waymo trials commercial driverless taxi service in Phoenix, Arizona

Waymo has launched a driverless taxi service in Phoenix, Arizona, where riders will be charged for the journeys they take. In a blog post, CEO John Krafcik says the commercial self-driving service – called Waymo One - is available to early riders who have already been using Waymo’s technology. The company hopes to make the service available to more members of the public as it adds more vehicles and drives in more places, he writes. “Self-driving technology is new to many, so we’re proceeding carefully wi
December 10, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

8621 Waymo has launched a driverless taxi service in Phoenix, Arizona, where riders will be charged for the journeys they take.

In a %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external blog post false https://medium.com/waymo/waymo-one-the-next-step-on-our-self-driving-journey-6d0c075b0e9b false false%>, CEO John Krafcik says the commercial self-driving service – called Waymo One - is available to early riders who have already been using Waymo’s technology. The company hopes to make the service available to more members of the public as it adds more vehicles and drives in more places, he writes.

“Self-driving technology is new to many, so we’re proceeding carefully with the comfort and convenience of our riders in mind,” Krafcik adds.

A report by %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external Reuters false https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-waymo-selfdriving-focus/waymo-unveils-self-driving-taxi-service-in-arizona-for-paying-customers-idUKKBN1O41M2 false false%> says the service will operate in a 100-mile zone in Chandler, Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert.

The news agency took a trip but says its Waymo One taxi “proved slow and jerky at times” and was slightly more expensive than existing taxi options.

“For now, pricing is roughly in line with that of Uber and Lyft. A 15-minute, 3-mile (4.8 km) drive taken by Reuters last week cost $7.59, just above the $7.22 offered by Lyft,” Reuters adds.

Riders can hail taxis by downloading the company app and providing a credit card number. A human driver remains in the driver’s seat to take control in emergency situations.

Last month, Waymo was granted a licence to test fully-driverless cars on %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external public roads false http://www.itsinternational.com/categories/utc/news/waymo-gets-california-green-light-for-public-driverless-tests/ false false%> in California.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ST adds BYD to Singapore bus consortium
    March 26, 2019
    ST Engineering has added BYD as its first partner in a consortium which seeks to deploy driverless buses in Singapore. The company is equipping BYD’s electric buses with autonomous vehicle technology. The vehicles will operate in the towns of Punggol, Tengah and the Juroung Innovation District located in Singapore’s western corridor. The consortium is being formed following a request from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority and the Singapore Economic Development Board to trial autonomous buses and shut
    Read More
  • Sompo to launch system to assist virtual testing of AVs
    February 19, 2019
    Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance is to develop a system which will allow local governments to carry out virtual tests of autonomous vehicles (AV). A report by The Japan News says the insurance company is hoping to reduce costs associated with real-world testing by providing a virtual environment which will feature road conditions based on 3D maps. This project stems from an agreement with Tier IV, a developer of autonomous driving technologies and measuring technology firm Aisan Technology. The system
    Read More
  • European Transport Conference 2017 - call for papers
    December 22, 2016
    The European Transport Conference (ETC), which takes place 4-6 October 2017 in Barcelona, is inviting abstracts for papers on: Resilience of cities - security, safety and the effects of weather; Equity in transport; Disruptive technologies; Mobility as a Service; How to get from innovative ideas to implementation in the real world - lessons to be learnt from innovation Contributors are particularly encouraged to offer abstracts under heading including: Modelling the above; Skills and resourc
    Read More
  • Tamron partners with Macq
    December 6, 2018
    Lens manufacturer Tamron and visions system integrator Macq have signed a deal to produce a new camera. Tamron is providing the lens, while Belgium-based Macq is providing the housing and the electronics boards – and will sell the camera as its own product. Powered by artificial intelligence, the traffic sensor can be used for all kinds of applications, Macq says. These include: traffic monitoring, automatic make and model recognition, speed control, parking and automatic number plate recognition.
    Read More

Highlighted Content