Photo: Waymo
Waymo is set to deploy its autonomous ride-hailing services in Los Angeles, California, joining Phoenix and San Francisco, said the company on Wednesday.
The move is set to expand the autonomous driving service across a number of central LA districts, bringing the service into the city following its tests on surrounding highways.
“When we think about our next cities, Los Angeles jumps out,” said Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana. “LA is a remarkable, vibrant place – and Waymo’s experience leaves us best positioned to tackle its driving complexity. We’re working closely with Angelenos to ensure we’re addressing the transportation needs and priorities of their communities as we bring the Waymo Driver to LA.”
Waymo Sues California DMV to Keep Driverless Crash Data Private https://t.co/v3jgwtt9w4
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) January 28, 2022
The company says its autonomous ride-hailing service will now begin operating in some of LA’s more challenging traffic situations, including what it calls “criss-crossing freeway ramps, narrow surface streets, high numbers of unprotected left turns, blinding sunsets down its east-west roads, and distracted drivers.”
The subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, says there’s an estimated market opportunity of $2 billion in Los Angeles and its population of 13 million residents.
“Waymo has already made the previously unimaginable future of autonomous driving a present reality for thousands of riders in both Phoenix and San Francisco. We’re are thrilled to bring this experience to Angelenos next,” said the company.
While Tesla’s Full Self-Driving beta is able to learn and drive on any city street, Waymo routes are limited to pre-mapped areas.
Waymo has partnered with automaker Stellantis, and the company says it expects to achieve Levels 4 and 5 of autonomous driving with the Alphabet-owned autonomous system.
