Waymo Launches Driverless Passenger Services in Austin, Texas

Alphabet’s Waymo announced on Tuesday its commencement of driverless passenger services for its employees in Austin, Texas, starting Wednesday.

Waymo intends to extend its ride-hailing program, Waymo One, to the public in Austin later on, making it the fourth city to receive the service after San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Waymo’s product chief, Saswat Panigrahi, emphasized the company’s commitment to safely delivering the benefits of fully autonomous driving to more people. Additionally, Waymo received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to launch its completely driverless robotaxi services in Los Angeles and some cities near San Francisco.

Despite these advancements, Waymo has encountered challenges and public backlash regarding their self-driving services. Recent incidents include an attack and arson on a Waymo robotaxi during Chinese New Year celebrations in San Francisco’s Chinatown and a collision involving another Waymo car and a bicyclist at a city intersection.

Source: Reuters