Making air travel more convenient at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

Phoenix holds a special place in our hearts at Waymo, as it’s where we were the first company to launch a public ride-hail service with no human behind the wheel over two years ago. That’s why we’re excited to take the next step by initiating the industry’s first-ever paid trips to and from an airport at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, starting today.

Phoenix is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. by population and is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is also one of the 10 busiest airports in the world, and human operated ride-hail trips to and from airports are some of the most popular. We see a big opportunity to deliver a service that riders in the Phoenix area will love.

Starting today, Trusted Testers can hail a ride 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in our fully electric Jaguar I-PACE equipped with the fifth generation Waymo Driver, between Downtown Phoenix and Phoenix Sky Harbor. We’re partnering with Phoenix Sky Harbor to offer pickups and dropoffs from the 44th Street Sky Train® station. We’ll start by offering trips with an autonomous specialist in the driver’s seat and will remove the specialist over weeks to come.

We’ve gained meaningful learnings at Phoenix Sky Harbor since we started driving there with our employees in May, and now we’re excited to expand to include our Trusted Tester community. Their input will help us create a world class experience before we roll out more broadly.

The unique elements of airport pickup offer an opportunity for exciting technical advancement, including; unique opportunities to train our perception capabilities, serving pedestrians carrying different types of luggage; and learning different types of driving behaviors of other road users that are unique to the airport. All of this will help enhance our driving performance overall.

We’ve welcomed input from local leaders and community groups to ensure we build for their needs, and we’ve been encouraged by the feedback that we’ve received so far. For example, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego shared: “Phoenix leads the nation in demonstrating autonomous vehicle technology, science, and safety. The future of travel is here, and Waymo One service to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport marks our city’s commitment to innovation and technological advancements that will impact the world.”

Planning travel to or from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport? Download the Waymo One on the App Store or Google Play to express interest in joining our Trusted Tester program.

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