Autonomous cars slowly become less dystopian and more real while businesses like Waymo, the driverless arm of Google Parent Alphabet, develop in more cities.
Waymo is currently operating fully autonomous walks for the general public in the San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles regions via his Waymo One App. But in 2025, the company plans to add more locations to its list, ultimately opening up to riders in places like Atlanta and Miami. Waymo will also be tested with vehicles led manually 10 new cities This year, starting with Las Vegas and San Diego, according to The Verge. (Waymo did not respond to the request for CNET comments on this update.)
The autonomous rides take place on board the Electric Jaguar I-Pace, but in October, Waymo announced that it was Partnership with Hyundai To bring the next generation of its technology in IONIQ 5 SUVs. In the coming years, runners will be able to summon these electric vehicles – driver -free driver – also using the Waymo One application.
The autonomous technology company is not unrelated to large -scale partnerships. In 2024, he said it was team up With Uber to provide its Robotaxi service to Atlanta and Austin via the Uber application. From 2025, Uber will manage and send the fully autonomous Waymo vehicle fleet, so you can choose a driver -free journey when you embark on your trip.
Waymo says it provides more than 150,000 trips every week. I myself praised several rides in San Francisco myself, and as updating as it may seem at the beginning (especially to see a steering wheel turn by itself), I quickly adjusted myself and I quickly felt like an ordinary walk .
This does not mean that there was no hindsight while Waymo takes place in more cities. Company vehicles were involved in a handful of high -level collisions, especially one with a biker In San Francisco, and another with a towed van in Phoenix. (He recalled and updated its software To solve the problem.) In response to concerns, Waymo says that out of 14.8 million miles, its Waymo autonomous driver technology “was 3.5 times better to avoid accidents that cause injuries and 2 times to avoid Accidents declared by the police that human drivers in SF and Phoenix. “He also published a data center Last year, detailing efforts to improve road safety using its technology.
While Waymo continues to develop and develop its autonomous technology, here is a guide for how and where to invoke Robotaxi, if you are in one of the few cities where the company is currently operating its fleet.
Look at this: Testing Waymo’s safe output function in an autonomous taxi
Organize a ride in Phoenix
Phoenix was the first city To open fully autonomous Waymo goes to the public, in 2020. To greet a trip, download the Waymo One apply iOS Or Android – No waiting list required. The service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
As a teaser for what will come to Austin and Atlanta, you can also Use the Uber application To summon one of the Waymo vehicles in Phoenix. When you ask for a Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric walk, you will have the choice to confirm a Waymo Ride, if you are matching.
In addition to Order a journeyYou can also have your Uber eats meals delivered by an autonomous car. When you place an order in the Phoenix region, you can get a note that “autonomous vehicles can deliver your order”. When the Waymo car arrives, take your phone with you to open the trunk and enter your delivery. You can withdraw this when paying if you prefer a human book your food.
Order a tour in San Francisco
San Francisco followed the plunge after Phoenix, on the move Fully autonomous flows at the end of 2022. He canceled the waiting list in June, so now anyone can just download the Waymo One application to drive at any time. The service also works 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is currently no Uber partnership in San Francisco.
In August, Waymo expanded its drawing service to the San Francisco peninsula, adding 10 square miles and venturing to Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma. It now works on 55 square miles from the bay region.
Order a tour in Los Angeles
In November, Waymo abandoned its waiting list for Los Angeles and began to welcome all public runners via the Waymo One application. Now, all interested passengers can jump into the Robotaxie 24/7 and cross almost 80 square miles From the County of Los Angeles, including Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and the city center – with plans to develop soon in other areas.
To come soon: Austin and Atlanta
After more than a year of essay In Austin, Waymo opened rides for people on his interest list in early October. The company says that it will host a “limited number of first cyclists” via the Waymo One App, before finally going to the Uber application.
“The runners will travel at 37 square miles from the city, while we are preparing for our commercial launch at the beginning of next year – exclusively on the Uber application”, Waymo Posted on X in October.
This Uber partnership should make the independent rides more accessible to more people. In a statement in September, the Waymo TEKEDRA MAWAKANA CO-PDG said: “Waymo’s mission is to be the most reliable driver in the world, and we are delighted to launch this wider network and operations with Uber in Austin And Atlanta to provide the entirely autonomous driving advantages to more cyclists.
As part of the Uber partnership, Uber will manage tasks such as cleaning and repairing vehicles, while “Waymo will continue to be responsible for the tests and the operation of the Waymo driver, including road assistance and certain support functions Cyclists, “said companies.
In Atlanta, public riders can attend a driver -free journey via the Uber application from the beginning of 2025.
Public members in Austin and Atlanta can reach a interest list And be informed when it’s time to ride.
The road to come: Miami and future vehicles
Miami is also the next on the Waymo list, but you will have to wait until 2026 to go up there via the Waymo One application, the company says. It was Perform meteorological tests in the contribution of this deployment, noting in a blog“Our old trips on the road in the difficult rainy conditions of Sunshine State were invaluable to advance our autonomous driving capacities.”
Waymo will collaborate with Moove, a fintech company which offers the financing of vehicles, first in Phoenix, where Moove will manage Robotaxi fleet operations, installations and charging infrastructures. In Phoenix then Miami, “Waymo will continue to offer our service via the Waymo One application, and will remain responsible for the validation and operation of the Waymo driver,” said the company in a blog.
In August, Waymo unveiled the sixth generation of its autonomous technology, which aims to extend the capacities of its driverless fleet. Smart sensors are supposed to help cars to sail better in extreme weather, Waymo said. The sixth generation driver will come on board all electric Zeekr vehiclewhich includes a flat floor, more space for the head and legs, adjustable seats and a removable steering wheel and pedals. Update technology is still in testing and the company claims that it will soon be available for runners.
In October, Waymo also announced a Partnership with Hyundai To integrate its sixth generation pilot into the all -electric Ioniq 5 SUV, which, according to a blog article, “will be added to the Waymo One fleet over time”. The companies added that they “planned to produce a fleet of Ioniq 5s equipped with Waymo technology in large volume over several years to support the Waymo One growth scale”. The tests with these vehicles will start at the end of 2025 and will be available “in the years to follow”.
Currently, everyday runners cannot take a Waymo vehicle on highways and highways, but it could soon change. The company tests fully autonomous journeys on Highway in PhoenixAs shown in an exclusive video shared with CNET in May.
Waymo also endeavors to extend his autonomous driving technology in trucking, but he said last year that he was reducing these efforts For the moment, focus on the ruin with Waymo One. He noted that “our continuous investment in the advancement of Waymo driver’s capacities, especially on highways, will result directly by trucking and will benefit its development efforts”.
