Waymo has announced a “tour of Los Angeles” offering curious residents the chance to ride in fully autonomous vehicles as the Alphabet-owned company lays the groundwork for launching a commercial robotaxi service.
Waymo is planning six multi-day “tour stops” in L.A. neighborhoods where people can hail a self-driving car without a driver in the front seat. Interested Los Angeles residents can obtain early access tickets at various pop-up events around the city or get placed on a waitlist. Once they have received a ticket, passengers can Waymos Use completely driverless vehicles free of charge in the service area for one week during the designated time.
Tour dates are as follows: Santa Monica and Venice Beach (October 11th to November 18th); Century City (November 20 to December 17); West Hollywood (December 17 to January 7); Mid City (January 8 to January 23); Koreatown (January 24 to February 8); and Downtown LA (February 9 to March 3).
Waymo’s operational design area – the area in which its robotaxis are programmed – stretches from the West Side to central LA, an area larger than San Francisco but smaller than the coverage in Phoenix.
This is the first time Waymo has used a “tour” model as a precursor to a commercial service. Waymo plans to work with local businesses and community organizers at each stop to leave a good impression on locals. Robotaxi company in San Francisco have faced resistance from city officials who oppose their expansion and blocked intersections and obstructions Emergency vehicles Clues.
Waymo has had a small fleet of vehicles mapping L.A. streets since at least 2019, but only in recent months began preparing for a commercial service. Aside from mapping, Waymo’s traditional model has seen it deploy vehicles in autonomous mode with a human safety person behind the wheel before transitioning to a commercially available service.
For Waymo, LA represents its largest and potentially most challenging market to date: a metropolitan area of 13 million people, with intersecting highway ramps, narrow streets, many unprotected left turns, dazzling sunsets on east-west streets and a multitude of distracted drivers. As a market, LA also represents a potential $2 billion in sales, the company previously estimated.
Waymo is competing with Cruise and other autonomous driving companies to put more robot cars on the road and get a return on its huge investment. The company generates revenue from its two ride-hailing markets but has not raised outside funding since a $2.5 billion funding round in June 2021.