Waymo, the driverless vehicle company, announced the end of its waitlist, finally allowing San Francisco passengers with a working credit card to hail a ride with the Waymo app.
The Waymo One Rollout
Nearly 300,000 people in San Francisco have registered for the ride-hailing service Waymo One since it opened the waitlist. This Tuesday, the company announced that the wait is finally over, according to a blog post.
Waymo has been steadily expanding its operations in San Francisco for several years, providing tens of thousands of weekly trips and safe, sustainable, and reliable transportation options for residents and visitors. Over the past two years, Waymo has reported covering more than 3.8 million miles, transporting passengers across San Francisco.
NHTSA Safety Probe Into Waymo
Despite Waymo's claim that road safety is a priority, federal safety regulators have been casting doubt on the safety of its autonomous vehicles operating in Phoenix and San Francisco.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) initiated a probe last month into Waymo's self-driving vehicle software following 31 reported incidents involving robotaxis making unforeseen maneuvers resulting in crashes and potential violations of traffic safety regulations. The investigation, categorized as a "preliminary evaluation," focuses on assessing the software's capability to prevent collisions with stationary objects and its effectiveness in detecting and responding to traffic safety devices such as cones, TechCrunch reported.
Waymo's Impact on Economy, Environment, and Industry
Waymo touts have been building on more than 15 years of expertise in creating safe and reliable autonomous driving technology since beginning their first rides in Palo Alto in 2009 despite being under the regulators' radar.
30% of Waymo rides in San Francisco are destined for local businesses, including individual restaurants, live music venues, bars, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, parks, and museums, which significantly boosts the local economy.
Since launching its commercial operations in August 2023, Waymo has also exclusively operated an all-electric fleet powered by 100% renewable energy sourced through San Francisco's CleanPowerSF program, enabling Waymo to reduce carbon emissions significantly, estimated at approximately 570,000 kg. A recent rider survey indicates that 53% of its users in San Francisco believe that using Waymo has contributed to their efforts to be more environmentally friendly. In contrast, another survey reveals that over half of Waymo riders in San Francisco report feeling safer while traveling with Waymo, attributing this improvement to their experience with the service.
Waymo Driver also enhances road safety in the cities it serves, citing high-severity collision avoidance better than even the most attentive human drivers. Data also indicates that Waymo vehicles experience fewer insurance claims, injuries, and police reports than human drivers, which has been proven in more than 30 scientific papers.
Waymo's operations also contribute to enhanced safety for other road users. With over 3.8+ million miles driven with passengers in San Francisco through March, the Waymo Driver experienced 17 fewer crashes resulting in injuries and 12 fewer crashes reported to the police than human drivers.
Waymo is committed to expanding its service gradually and responsibly, collaborating closely with city and state authorities, first responders, and road safety advocates to ensure their service provides reliable, safe, environmentally friendly transportation and positively impacts mobility in local communities, the statement reads.
