Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, has announced a significant milestone, with its Waymo One service now providing more than 50,000 paid trips every week across Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The service operates 24/7 in parts of these cities, offering riders a convenient and autonomous transportation option.
This milestone reflects the growing popularity of Waymo’s autonomous ridesharing service, with an average of 300 bookings every hour or five bookings every minute. Waymo has also revealed that it has completed over one million rider-only trips across four cities, including Austin, where it currently offers limited rides to select members of the public.
Our safe and deliberate approach to scaling the Waymo Driver is gaining traction, as we’re now serving more than 50,000 paid trips every week across three major cities. Thank you to our riders for trusting us to get you to your destinations safely and reliably. pic.twitter.com/g0ws4QnV7v
— Waymo (@Waymo) May 9, 2024
Waymo attributes its success to its “safe and deliberate approach” to scaling its program, emphasizing its commitment to providing a reliable and safe transportation option for riders. The company stated, “Fully autonomous ride-hailing is a reality and a preferred mobility option for people navigating their cities every day.”
Despite its success, Waymo has faced some controversies. In April, six Waymo robotaxis blocked traffic on a San Francisco freeway, highlighting some of the challenges of integrating autonomous vehicles into existing traffic systems. Additionally, earlier this year, two Waymo vehicles were involved in a collision with the same pickup truck due to incorrect predictions by the vehicles’ software. Waymo issued a software recall to address the issue and prevent similar incidents in the future.
