NW-Bound
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- Jul 3, 2008
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Waymo, the division of Google that develops self-driving cars, has been testing its self-driving cars for 3 or 4 years now around the part of Phoenix where I live. Today, Waymo announces that it will soon offer a service for the public to hail its driverless taxis via a smartphone app.
The area of operation is for now limited to 50 square miles. Not all of the cars in its test fleet of 300-400 cars in Phoenix will be put in this service.
For more, see: https://www.azcentral.com/story/mon...program-metro-phoenix-open-public/5913106002/
The area of operation is for now limited to 50 square miles. Not all of the cars in its test fleet of 300-400 cars in Phoenix will be put in this service.
The fully driverless rides previously were available only to a select group, the Early Riders, who signed nondisclosure agreements. By contrast, the Waymo One commercial service allowed customers to bring friends or family along who had not signed nondisclosure agreements, but backup drivers were present in those vehicles.
That is changing.
Starting Thursday, Waymo One users will "be able to experience the fully autonomous Waymo driver with no human test driver in the driver seat," Waymo CEO John Krafcik said Wednesday. "It’s a really, really big deal, we think, for us and for the the world."
Once the existing Waymo One customers get the opportunity to ride in an autonomous vehicle, which could take weeks, Waymo offers its app to anyone from either Google Play or the Apple App Store.
They can then use the app to hail and pay for a ride in the company's limited operating area, and take a spin in a car with no human attendant.
For more, see: https://www.azcentral.com/story/mon...program-metro-phoenix-open-public/5913106002/