In San Francisco, Waymo is about to launch its completely autonomous taxi service. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has finally granted the Alphabet-owned firm a Driverless Pilot licence, allowing it to pick up customers without a driver at the wheel.
While Waymo is permitted to offer rides in its self-driving cars, it is not permitted to charge its customers for those services. San Francisco, Daly City, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain Views, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale are all serviced by Waymo for rides.
Who’s up for a ride, SF?
Waymo One is now accessible to the general public in San Francisco after receiving the driverless pilot permit from the California Public Utilities Commission. Continually accessible—without anyone in charge: Twitter: https://t.co/TenpLez0lo/DtSXXGNJpa
— Waymo on November 18, 2022 (@Waymo)
The self-driving car company began testing rides in San Francisco earlier this year with its staff and participants in its “Trusted Tester” program.
Obtaining a Driverless Deployment permit from CPUC will allow Waymo to charge for its autonomous services in the area. Cruise has already been granted the CPUC’s first-ever Driverless Deployment permit, which enables it to collect fees from customers but not to provide shared rides for customers of various parties.
Despite the fact that Waymo’s autonomous cab hailing services are new to San Francisco, the business has been active there since 2017. The business revealed last week that it is also running fully autonomous services in Downtown Phoenix.
