Alphabet’s autonomous driving unit, Waymo has stated that it had applied to the California Public Utilities Commission to expand its driverless service in Los Angeles.
According to the statement, “A license would allow Waymo, which operates extensively in San Francisco, to fully operate its fleet in Los Angeles, California’s largest city, where it is now testing rides, allowing new rides only by invitation.”
The company posted on social media platform X that it will work with Los Angeles policymakers, first responders, and community organizations in order to launch its ride-hailing service. It did not provide details on when its service will go live.
Recently, Waymo announced that it will begin testing its robotaxis on highways in Phoenix without a human safety driver.
As per the statement, “The rides will be available only to company employees, and their guests, to start. Waymo’s vehicles have been allowed on highways but require a human safety driver in the front seat to handle any issues. The program will start outside of rush-hour periods and could eventually ramp up to a 24-hour service.”
The inability to use highways has been a drawback of taking a robotaxi compared to traditional taxis or Ubers. Adding highway service could make trips more efficient and encourage more people to use the service. Waymo said that adding highways could reduce drive times by 50 percent on certain routes.
“General Motors’ Cruise driverless car unit paused all supervised and manual car trips in the U.S. last year after an accident led to the suspension of driverless vehicle operations,” as per the reports.
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