Alphabet-owned Waymo on Wednesday unveiled “Waymo for Business,” a new program that allows companies to set up accounts for employees to use its driverless ride-hailing service in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Austin and Atlanta.
The initiative is aimed at recurring corporate travel, offering employers controls over where, when and how staff use the service. The company said an admin portal lets organizations manage riders, create promotional codes and generate reports to monitor activity and budgets.
Waymo said it now completes more than one million rides per month, with nearly one in six riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix using its autonomous vehicles to commute. “The business product is in its early stages and will gain more features over time to support organizations of different sizes,” the company said.
The Mountain View, California-based firm has been expanding rapidly, adding paid rides in Atlanta and increasing coverage in Austin. It has also been focusing on airport access to attract business travelers, with operations already in place at Phoenix Sky Harbor and approvals secured at San José Mineta International Airport. San Francisco International Airport has also granted a testing permit for potential future service.
Early adopters of the program include Phoenix-based online used-car seller Carvana.