Fully Driverless Waymo Rides Coming Soon
Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo self-driving car unit says it will gradually begin to offer driverless rides as part of its robo-taxi pilot program, which currently uses onboard backup drivers.
Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo self-driving car unit says it will gradually begin to offer driverless rides as part of its robo-taxi pilot program, which currently uses onboard backup drivers.
The company sent messages to participants in its “early rider” program in Phoenix informing them that “completely driverless” Waymo cars are coming “soon.” No specific timeframe was provided.
Riders will be notified in advance that the vehicle won’t have a trained safety driver on board. They also will be sent a link to a “what-to-expect” informational website about the program.
Waymo began offering free rides to select customers in autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans (with backup drivers) in Phoenix in April 2017. A for-pay pilot program was launched there last December.
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