Waymo Expands Robotaxi Fleet to Los Angeles
Robotaxi fleets are multiplying. After Phoenix and San Francisco, Google’s sister company Waymo has now announced that it will expand its robotaxi service to Los Angeles. Waymo vehicles have already been observed there for months, and in the coming months the robotaxis will now begin service in downtown and adjacent suburbs of Los Angeles, as well as Miracle Mile, Koreatown, Santa Monica, Westwood and West Hollywood.
Waymo isn’t the only company already offering robotaxi services. Cruise, GM’s subsidiary, operates one in San Francisco and is working to offer one in Phoenix and Austin in the coming weeks. Startup Argo, in which Ford and Volkswagen hold stakes, has also started a service in Austin and Miami. That means there will be at least 8 robotaxi fleets on the road in the U.S. by spring 2023.
Even though the individual services still differ greatly in their driverless offerings – some are limited to certain times of day, parts of the city and weather conditions, for example – Cruise and Waymo are also already able to charge drivers a fee. The corresponding cab licenses have been obtained, and it is now only a matter of time before the service is launched in other cities.
This article was also posted in German.
