Waymo Self-Driving Taxis Now Open to Anyone in Los Angeles

Waymo has confirmed another major expansion with its self-driving taxis now available to anyone in Los Angeles.

The company, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet, has been operating commercially in Los Angeles since earlier this year, but has now dispensed with its waitlist for customers, which had amassed 300,000 names.

As of now, the service is open to all who sign up to use the Waymo One app.

Following Phoenix and San Francisco, Los Angeles is the third city where Waymo is running a commercial driverless service, but with a population in the region of nearly 4 million, it is the largest.

Waymo’s coverage area stretches 80 square miles across Los Angeles County, taking in Hollywood, Santa Monica, Marina del Rey, Chinatown and Westwood, following an expansion in early August. According to Waymo, further extensions to incorporate even more of the Los Angeles sprawl are planned.

In announcing the ending of the waitlist, Waymo took the opportunity to flag how positively it has been received by local residents, with a recent survey showing that 98% of riders are satisfied with the service and 96% find it useful. Waymo said it has already completed hundreds of thousands of paid trips across the city.

“Now is an exciting time to welcome everyone in Los Angeles along for the ride,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo.

Related:Self-Driving Taxi Company Waymo Expands California Coverage Area

“Our service has matured quickly and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving. We’re so grateful to all of our first riders in LA, and we can’t wait to serve more riders soon.”

Waymo only announced it was starting testing in Los Angeles early last year, and after a comprehensive program later in the year, by March 2024 it was ready to launch the larger service, with its converted autonomous Jaguar I-Pace SUVs getting the green light to operate.

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The first fares were collected in April.

With Waymo now delivering 150,000 paid rides a week across the United States, and recently receiving funding of $5.6 billion, its aggressive expansion plans are set to continue.

The next cities where the firm’s self-driving taxis would be made available are Austin and Atlanta, following the signing of a strategic partnership with Uber earlier this year.

The robotaxis would be offered exclusively on the ride-hailing giant’s platform in early 2025.