Waymo will expand driverless rides to Washington, DC. Plus, you can welcome robotaxi right now

Self-driving cars are slowly moving Few science fiction, real world As a favorite company Waymo – Unmanned Arms of Google’s parent company Alphabet – expand to more cities. On Tuesday, the company shares that it is expanding to Washington, DC and will offer its rides Waymo 1 app It will start in 2026.

Waymo currently operates completely autonomous vehicles for the general public in Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco, Austin, Texas. January, company Returned to the capital of the country It announced that it will test autonomous driving technology and begin testing on manually driven vehicles 10 new cities This year, it will start in Las Vegas and San Diego. Waymo is scheduled to expand to Atlanta this year through a partnership with Uber.

In Washington, DC, Waymo says it will bring more vehicles into the city in the coming weeks and strive to expand its services throughout the year. In particular, the autonomous driving company stated in a release “We will continue to work closely with policymakers to formalize the regulations needed to operate without humans behind the wheels of the district.”

All Waymo autonomous vehicles are carried out on the electric grid Jaguar I Pacebut in October, Waymo announced it Partnership with Hyundai To introduce next-generation technology IONIQ 5 SUV. Over the next few years, riders will be able to summon all these electric vehicles using the Waymo One app.

Waymo says it offers over 200,000 paid trips each week. I welcomed some rides in San Francisco, but at first (especially to see the steering wheel spinning on its own), I was quickly adjusted and quickly felt like a normal ride.

That doesn’t mean there were no pushbacks as Waymo would expand to more cities. The company’s vehicles are involved in a handful of prominent collisions. One with bikers In San Francisco, another one with a tow pickup truck in Phoenix. (that I’ve recalled the software and updated it To address concerns, Waymo says, for 14.8 million miles, its autonomous Waymo driver technology has been up to 3.5 times better than human drivers in sci-fi and Phoenix to avoid injuries-causing crashes when avoiding police-reported crashes. Also released a Data Hub Last year, I detailed an effort to improve road safety using that technology.

As Waymo continues to expand and develop autonomous driving technology, if you are in one of the few cities currently running your fleet, here are how and where you can summon Robotaxi:

Hairstyle riding in Phoenix

Phoenix was like that First City To make the fully autonomous Waymo Rides available to the public in 2020. Waymo One App-on iOS or Android. This service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can do it too Use the Uber app Summon one of the Phoenix Waymo vehicles. If you request an Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric Ride, you can check the Waymo ride if it matches.

In addition to It brings about ride comfortyou may have one too Uber eats food delivered in self-driving cars. Ordering in the Phoenix area may give you a note saying, “A self-driving car may deliver your order.” When the Waymo car arrives, hold your phone and open the trunk and grab the delivery. If you want to deliver food to humans, you can opt out of this while checking out.

Calling for a ride in San Francisco

San Francisco followed and unfolded after Phoenix. A completely autonomous ride in the second half of 2022. that Waiting list has been discarded In June, anyone can download the Waymo One app and ride it anytime. This service is operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Currently, there are no Uber partnerships in San Francisco.

August, Waymo We expanded our riding service Enter the San Francisco Peninsula and add 10 square miles and challenge Daily City, Broadmoor and Colma. And as it expanded again in March, there is also the option of one rider living in Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto and parts of Sunnyvale to welcome Robotaki. The company says it plans to expand to more riders over time.

Calling for a ride in Los Angeles

In November, Waymo discontinued its waitlist Los Angeles And it started Welcome all public riders Through the Waymo One app. Now, interested passengers can jump on the Robotaxis 24/7 and ride around 90 square miles of LA counties, including Santa Monica, Beverly Hills. Inglewood Downtown LA – There are plans to expand to more areas soon.

Hairstyles for a ride in Austin

In Austin, the only way to ride a Waymo Through Uber – There is no one app here. Requesting an Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric could potentially match your Waymo vehicle. If you don’t ride driverless, you have the option to switch to standard rides. On the other hand, if you want to increase the chances of a self-driving car, you can go to account > setting > Self-driving cars, Next, press the next toggle Get more Waymo Rides.

Unlock the door, open the trunk and start the ride through the Uber app. Finally, you are asked to rate your ride, but not to tilt.

If there is a problem, riders can access human support 24/7 from both the Uber app and inside the Waymo vehicle (screens on the front and back that allow you to quickly summon customer support).

As part of the Uber partnership, Uber will manage tasks such as vehicle cleaning and repair, and “Waymo will continue to be responsible for testing and operating WAYMO drivers, including Roadside Assistance and specific rider support features,” the company said. This collaboration should make self-driving accessible to more people. They now don’t need to download another app to hitch rides on Robotaxi.

Waymo is currently operating at 37 square miles of the city and has plans for future expansion.

Coming soon: Atlanta

In Atlanta, public riders will be able to ride driverlessly via the Uber app from early 2025. Currently, Waymo employees at Atlanta are the only people who can welcome fully autonomous vehicles.

Public Atlanta members can join An Interest List You will be notified when it’s time to ride.

The road ahead: Miami and future vehicles

Miami is next on Waymo’s list, but you’ll have to wait until 2026 to get there via the Waymo One app, the company says. it’s been Weather test conducted Take note of this development and a Blog post“Our previous road trips to the challenging rainy conditions of Sunshine State have been invaluable in advancing our autonomous driving capabilities.”

Waymo will work with Moove, the Fintech Company, the first to provide vehicle financing at Phoenix, which manages Robotaxi’s fleet operations, facilities and charging infrastructure. In both Phoenix and Miami, “Waymo will continue to provide our services through the Waymo One app and will continue to be responsible for verifying and operating Waymo drivers,” the company said. Blog post.

Waymo announced in August 6th generation Among the autonomous driving technologies, the aim is to expand the capabilities of the driverless fleet. Smarter sensors are intended to help you navigate your car better in extreme weather, Waymo said. The sixth generation drivers are installed on all electricity Zeekr vehiclefeatures flat floor, more heads and legroom, adjustable seats, removable steering wheel and pedals. The updated technology is still being tested and the company says it will be available to riders soon.

Waymo was also announced in October Partnership with Hyundai According to a blog post, “it will be added to the Waymo One fleet over time” to integrate the sixth generation driver into the all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV. The company added, “We are planning to produce Ioniq 5 equipped with Waymo technology for several years and to support Waymo’s growth scale.” Testing on these vehicles will begin by late 2025 and become available “in the year to follow.”

Currently, daily riders are not able to use Waymo vehicles on highways and highways, but that may change soon. The company is testing completely autonomous vehicles Phoenix HighwayAs seen in Exclusive Video Shared with CNET in May. We are also now making fully autonomous highway rides available to Waymo employees. In Los Angeles.

Waymo is working to expand autonomous driving technology to trucking, but last year it was Reduce those efforts For now, I’ll focus on riding on the Waymo One. “Our continued investment in advancing the capabilities of Waymo drivers, especially on the highways, will be translated directly into trucking and benefit our development efforts,” he said.