Alphabet’s Waymo opens autonomous ride-hailing service to all in Los Angeles

ALPHABET’S Waymo said on Tuesday (Nov 12) that its autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, is now available to everyone in Los Angeles, a sign of rapid growth and adoption of the technology.

Waymo had closed a US$5.6 billion funding round last month, as automakers and technology companies are betting big on the driverless technology to foster future growth, even as it faces tight regulatory scrutiny.

The company said nearly 300,000 people had joined its waitlist after it started commercial operations in the city earlier this year, signalling strong demand.

Waymo had opened access to its ride-hailing service to everyone in San Francisco in June of this year and Phoenix, Arizona in 2020.

“Our service has matured quickly and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO, of Waymo.

Mountain View, California-based Waymo is a self-driving technology pioneer, which started its first US driverless taxi service in 2020 over a decade after it was born as a project within Google.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in October that the electric vehicle maker will roll out driverless ride-hailing services to the public in California and Texas next year, indicating a growing competition in the autonomous ride-hailing space.

Rival General Motors’ Cruise is testing cars with human safety drivers after an accident last year led it to pull all vehicles from the road. Meanwhile, Amazon’s Zoox is expanding testing for its vehicles built without steering wheels and pedals. REUTERS