If you've seen more Waymo robotaxis recently in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, it's because more people are asking for rides. The Alphabet-owned company has twitter.com/Waymo/status/1788693361047515522″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:announced;cpos:1;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>Announced on twitter/x which now offers more than 50,000 paid rides each week in three cities. Waymo One operates 24/7 in parts of those cities. If the company makes 50,000 trips a week, that means it receives an average of 300 reservations every hour or five reservations every minute. Waymo has also revealed that it has ended one million exclusive trips for passengers in four cities, including Austin, where it is currently offering limited rides to select members of the public.
In its announcement, Waymo credited its “safe and deliberate approach” to expanding its program to reach the milestone. “We see people from all walks of life using our service to travel worry-free, gain independence, reclaim their daily commutes, and more. Fully autonomous transportation is a reality and a preferred mobility option for people navigating their cities every day,” he added.
While Waymo certainly seems to be doing better than Cruise, which recently redeployed some of its autonomous vehicles after a much-needed pause, it has had its share of controversies. In April, six Waymo robotaxis blocked traffic on a San Francisco freeway, and it was just one of the cases in which the company's vehicles caused traffic blockages. Earlier this year, two Waymo vehicles crashed back-to-back into the same truck because their software had incorrectly predicted the truck's future movements. The company issued a software recall after the incident to fix the issue and prevent similar incidents from occurring.
<div class="twitter-tweet-wrapper” data-embed-anchor=”0b29595b-ea57-5d40-b57f-40566124fa2d”><blockquote placeholder="" data-theme="light" class="twitter-tweet”>
Our safe and deliberate approach to expanding Waymo Driver is gaining traction, as we now deliver more than 50,000 paid rides each week in three major cities. Thank you to our passengers for trusting us to take them to their destinations safely and reliably. twitter.com/g0ws4QnV7v;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>pic.twitter.com/g0ws4QnV7v
— Waymo (@Waymo) twitter.com/Waymo/status/1788693361047515522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:May 9, 2024;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>May 9, 2024
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