Waymo no longer has a wait list for its robotaxi service in San Francisco, removing the last hurdle for customers interested in using self-driving technology.
Waymo said Tuesday that anyone can download the app and then immediately greet one of its robotaxis in San Francisco, a move that mimics the Alphabet-owned company's strategy in Phoenix, its first driverless taxi market.
Waymo has had a presence in the San Francisco area since 2009, but it wasn't until last year that the company was able to charge customers (24 hours a day and citywide) for rides on its fleet of self-driving Jaguar Is. . -Rhythm vehicles.
Waymo established a waiting list, with nearly 300,000 people signing up, following approval. Eventually, the company opened the service to waiting customers. Since the number on the waitlist is now dwindling to a few hundred, Waymo decided to eliminate it entirely.
Waymo won another key approval in March from the California Public Utilities Commission to operate a commercial robotaxi service in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Peninsula and San Francisco freeways. Waymo has not expanded its commercial driverless operations to San Francisco freeways or Peninsula communities, although the company is conducting tests in those areas. Instead, Waymo's fleet of 300 robotaxis in San Francisco are used within the city limits. Waymo has more than 700 robtaxi in its total fleet, spread across the commercial markets of Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as test locations in Silicon Valley and Austin, Texas.
According to Waymo's internal statistics, the service has proven popular. The company said Tuesday that it offers tens of thousands of rides each week in San Francisco, a number similar to that in Phoenix. Waymo said more than half of its San Francisco customers used its robotaxis in recent months to travel to or from medical appointments, according to data from a company survey. About 36% used Waymo to connect to other forms of transportation, such as BART or Muni.
