Passengers experience the luxury of riding in an electric Jaguar I-PACE car equipped with Waymo’s cutting-edge full self-driving technology in the scenic city of Santa Monica, California, on February 21, 2023.
Photographer: Allen J. Schaben | Source: Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, is set to make its mark in the city of Austin, Texas, now joining the league of offering ride-hailing services, according to a recent announcement.
Austin becomes the fourth major city to host Waymo’s ride-hailing pilot program, following the footsteps of Metro Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. While the initial phase of operations will commence in the fall, Waymo plans to delay public rides until a few months later when it achieves “fully autonomous deployment.” The company has been conducting preliminary tests in Austin since at least March of this year.
“We will follow a similar market entry approach as we have done in the past and are currently executing in LA, starting from manual testing to supervised testing, fully autonomous testing, and then finally offering public service,” stated Chris Bonelli, Waymo’s product communications manager, in an interview with CNBC. He further added, “We will kick-start this market entry strategy in the fall, and the various phases will progress from there.”
Waymo’s autonomous ride-hailing service will be available round the clock in key areas of Austin, including downtown, Barton Hills, East Austin, Hyde Park, Riverside, and more, as mentioned in a blog post. The decision to expand operations in Austin was influenced by reports of the city’s thriving economy as well as its densely populated metro area, with nearly 2.5 million people.
When asked about the specific number of vehicles in Waymo’s planned fleet for Austin, Bonelli chose not to disclose the information.
Since its inception as an independent entity under Alphabet in 2016, Waymo has successfully secured over $5.5 billion in funding. The company’s most recent funding round in 2021 amounted to $2.5 billion from investors such as Alphabet and Andreessen Horowitz. These funds are earmarked for advancing Waymo’s technology and expanding its talented team.
Like its competitors in the self-driving industry, Waymo has faced challenges in gaining widespread adoption, including concerns over consumer safety, regulatory hurdles, and the need for more human safety drivers.
Nearly three years after the launch of Waymo One, the company’s fully driverless service, it remains one of only two such services with commercial operations in the United States. The industry faces obstacles in finding cities with favorable local leadership, regulatory environments, and a combination of ideal characteristics such as road infrastructure, climate, and population.
In a recent announcement, Waymo revealed its decision to adjust the timeline for its autonomous semitruck development and focus instead on autonomous ride-hailing services. This strategic shift resulted in an undisclosed number of layoffs within the trucking division.
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