Waymo robotaxis surpass 50,000 weekly paid trips
Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle subsidiary, recently announced that its robotaxis are now completing over 50,000 paid trips weekly in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. The company has shared this milestone via a social media post. For several years now, Waymo has been permitted to operate its robotaxis without a human driver behind the wheel. This has enabled passengers to experience rides in autonomous cars without any other person inside.
Autonomous ride-hailing service gains popularity
Waymo's service is being utilized by a diverse range of people for various purposes. The company stated in its social media post, "We see people from all walks of life use our service to travel carefree, gain independence, reclaim their commute, and more." Waymo further emphasized that "Fully autonomous ride-hailing is a reality and a preferred mobility option for people navigating their cities every day."
Waymo facing challenges on public roads
Despite its success, Waymo's journey hasn't been without controversy and challenges. The company's vehicles have faced criticism due to their perceived threat to the human-powered taxi industry and occasional disruptive behavior on public roads. In one incident, a Waymo vehicle was reported driving on the wrong side of the street after encountering unicyclists, which the company defended as a passing maneuver. Another incident involved several robotaxis blocking access to a freeway on-ramp, requiring manual retrieval by Waymo's Roadside Assistance team.
Outperforming competitor despite challenges
Despite the challenges, Waymo seems to be performing better than General Motors-backed Cruise, its main competitor in the autonomous vehicles sector. Over the past year, Cruise has faced numerous difficulties leading to suspension of its self-driving activities on public roads and subsequent layoffs. Meanwhile, Waymo maintains that data collected by its self-driving cars shows improvements in road safety for all road users including cyclists, pedestrians, and other drivers.
Waymo's autonomous service records over one million trips
Waymo also revealed that it has recorded over one million rider-only trips across four cities, including Austin, where it is currently offering limited rides to select members of the public. This underscores the growing acceptance and use of autonomous ride-hailing services among the general population.
