Waymo said it will begin offering fully driverless robotaxi rides to employees in Atlanta, a step toward opening the service to the public in 2025.
The move signals Waymo’s expansion into new markets and follows its $5.6 billion Series C funding round, which valued the company at $45 billion. Investors in the round included Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, and Tiger Global.
See also: Waymo to Test Autonomous Vehicles in 10 New Cities, Starting with Las Vegas and San Diego
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Earlier this week, Waymo announced plans to test in 10 additional cities this year, beginning with San Diego and Las Vegas. When the company officially launches commercial robotaxi operations in Atlanta, rides will be available exclusively via the Uber app. Waymo and Uber also plan to introduce service in Austin later this year.
The Alphabet-owned self-driving firm opened robotaxi rides to select members of the public in Austin in October, after initially offering rides to employees.
See also: Waymo May Test Charity Tip Feature for Robotaxi Riders
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Waymo’s Atlanta rollout follows Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s announcement that Tesla plans to launch a robotaxi service in Austin in June, though the automaker has yet to deploy fully autonomous vehicles without a human safety driver.
Waymo currently operates its autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.