Waymo will start testing its totally autonomous passenger vehicles with no human driver on freeways in Phoenix to quickly assist Waymo One riders get the place they’re going safely and effectively. Simply as we’ve taken a phased strategy to rolling out our expertise and operations up to now, we’ll proceed to deploy in a step-by-step method, first offering rider-only journeys to our workers on freeways throughout Phoenix.

Now we have years of secure and confirmed expertise working fleets of rider-only automobiles on public roads throughout California and Arizona, and thousands and thousands of miles of expertise working autonomous class 8 vans and vehicles on freeways with a specialist current. As a part of our give attention to scaling experience hailing, we’ve incrementally ramped up our testing on freeways with passenger automobiles over the previous 12 months. Now, as we put together to take the subsequent step of eradicating the autonomous specialist from our operations, we’re following the identical processes outlined by our security framework that helped us responsibly launch and broaden the world’s first totally autonomous experience hailing service over three years in the past.

Earlier than increasing, we guarantee we now have a complete understanding of the atmosphere we plan to function and our system’s capabilities. Waymo’s years of expertise driving vehicles and vans on freeways taught us to navigate on a regular basis situations autonomously and inform our strategy to responding to uncommon occasions safely. We constantly iterate and enhance our expertise and operations by a rigorous course of that mixes structured testing, simulation, and public street operations so we’re ready for this subsequent section.

As we steadily ramp up our operations, Waymo workers can have the chance to hail rider-only journeys on freeways throughout Phoenix. Waymonauts will present invaluable suggestions in regards to the service and rider expertise throughout freeway journeys earlier than we welcome Waymo One riders.

Taking a freeway as a substitute of a floor road in Phoenix can considerably enhance a rider’s expertise. For instance, a visit from Sky Harbor Airport to the northern elements of Scottsdale will be 50% sooner by taking AZ-101 in comparison with metropolis streets. The power to make the most of freeways shall be particularly essential as we scale our operations to different cities. Because of this, we’re laser centered on our freeway experience hailing testing.
With Waymo One, we’re already serving to tens of hundreds of riders safely and delightfully get the place they’re getting in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. We recognize their enthusiasm, and work laborious on a regular basis to earn their belief. To hail a experience with the Waymo Driver, obtain the Waymo One App right now.

SOURCE: Waymo