The autonomous driving technology division of Alphabet Inc., Waymo, has announced that it is expanding its Waymo One Robotaxi service in Phoenix Airport, according to Forbes.
The California-based company anticipates eventual significant demand for rides in the city. The decision was made at a time when the self-driving car sector was experiencing turmoil.
Back-up human safety drivers to be removed soon
There will be transportation options between Sky Harbor International Airport and downtown Phoenix. Additionally, Waymo is collaborating with the airport to shuttle travelers to the nearby 44th Street light-rail station, which is located two miles away. Back-up human safety drivers will take over the wheel as the service begins. However, the company stated in a blog post that they would be taken down “over the weeks to come.”
Notably, employees of Waymo have already begun traveling to the airport through the Robotaxi. Additionally, the business asserted that opening up access to a segment of the public will enable them to enhance the service “before we roll out more broadly.”
The expansion of airport service in Phoenix follows Waymo’s recent announcement that it was also gearing up to debut its autonomous ride service in Los Angeles. It will also start transporting passengers in San Francisco.
Since 2020, it has operated entirely autonomously in the suburbs of Phoenix. Its recent efforts have been directed towards expanding its business operations throughout this enormous metropolis.
Rivals
Waymo is growing substantially as the prognosis for self-driving startups becomes more challenging. The movement to fully automate vehicles so that no human driver is required also impacted its gradual expansion.
Xiaodi Hou, the cofounder, CEO, chairman, and architect of TuSimple’s technology, was sacked on Monday due to alleged fraudulent funding and transferring technology to a Chinese business. TuSimple said that the action was unrelated to media attention, and Hou asserts that he did nothing unlawful.
Ford and Volkswagen announced last week that they would quit investing in Argo AI. It is a potential autonomous technology firm that has accumulated over $3 billion. They decided to disband because they believed it would take too long to see a return on their investment.
Furthermore, the top opponents of Waymo in the Robotaxi market include Cruise, which is supported by General Motors. It runs a local service in San Francisco, along with Motional, an autonomous technology firm financed by Hyundai and Amazon’s Zoox.
