(Reuters) – Alphabet’s Waymo said on Tuesday its autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, is now available to everyone in San Francisco, nearly four years after a similar move in Phoenix, Arizona.
Driverless vehicles are expected to drive commercial success for automakers, despite tight regulatory scrutiny. Investors remain concerned about growing investments in the nascent technology.
Waymo began a test service in San Francisco in 2021 with an autonomous specialist on board for all rides. This research-focused program aimed to commercialize the technology.
The company said about 300,000 people signed up to ride with Waymo since it first opened a waitlist. Now with open access, anyone can request a ride on its app.
The company had opened access to everyone in Phoenix, Arizona without a waitlist in 2020.
Mountain View-based Waymo is a self-driving technology pioneer that launched its first U.S. driverless taxi service in 2020. It began in 2009 as a project inside Google.
In March, the company received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to start its Waymo One in Los Angeles and some cities near San Francisco.
Rivals including General Motors-backed Cruise and Amazon.com’s Zoox are accelerating a race to succeed amid probes by auto regulators involving the performance of autonomous driving cars.
Last month, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had learned of nine additional incidents raising concerns about the performance of Waymo self-driving vehicles.
In addition, the Waymo autonomous service is designed to meet the diverse needs of San Francisco’s population. As more people adopt this innovative solution, the future of urban transportation looks increasingly promising.
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