Waymo, the autonomous driving division of Google’s parent company Alphabet, announced that it will begin offering a fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the general public in Los Angeles starting March 14, 2024, and plans to launch in Austin, Texas, by the end of this year. Waymo has been testing its Level 4 autonomous ride-hailing service in Los Angeles since the end of 2022 and is now ready to launch the service officially.
Level 4 is one of the SAE levels of driving automation, which means the vehicle can drive itself without human intervention but only in certain situations. Most driver assistance systems installed in today’s cars (e.g., Autopilot, Super Cruise, etc.) are considered Level 2, and only Mercedes offers a Level 3 system in the U.S. In this case, Waymo’s limitation means it is geofenced to specific service areas.
Over the past few months, Waymo has been conducting Waymo tours, offering free vehicle services to locals in various areas by driving around downtown areas. The service is ready to be launched in all areas previously covered, from Santa Monica to downtown LA, and will operate year-round in the specified coverage areas.
The LA service area includes a unique geographical area of Santa Monica, Century City, K-Town, and downtown, as well as parts of West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Culver City. The total area is about 63 square miles, larger than the 47 square miles of the San Francisco service area but much smaller than the 180 square miles operated in Phoenix. Waymo added that it planned to expand operations and cover a wider area over time.
Waymo plans to offer the service for free initially but will switch to a paid model within a few weeks, thanks to recent approval from the California Public Utilities Commission.
To sign up for Waymo’s LA (or Austin) service and get on the waiting list, download the Waymo One app and add yourself to the waiting list in the nearest service area.
In an email, Takedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, stated, “What was once an unimaginable future of autonomous driving is now a way for tens of thousands of people to move every week.”
Most Commented