Robotaxi Service Waymo Doubles Ridership In CA: Reports

CALIFORNIA — Waymo, the first fully autonomous ride-hailing service, has doubled its ridership in California since it began offering paid rides in two cities, according to data from the state and multiple news reports.

The robotaxi fleets, owned by Mountain View-based Alphabet Inc. carried out driverless rides to some 500,000 passengers in California during August. Last August, the company gave more than 200,000 rides, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing data from the California Public Utilities Commission.

"Waymo is now a clear technical leader within the autonomous vehicle industry and creating a growing commercial opportunity," said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google in an Oct. 29 company call.

"Over the years, Waymo has been infusing cutting-edge AI into its work," Pichai said. "Now, each week, Waymo is driving more than 1 million fully autonomous miles and serves 150,000 paid rides — the first time any AV company has reached this kind of mainstream use."

Waymo began offering rides in San Francisco in 2021 as part of a pilot program and officially opened its Waymo One paid service to San Franciscans on June 25.

Then, the driverless ride-hailing service officially opened to anyone with the Waymo One app in Los Angeles on Nov. 12. Before this, the company was offering rides in LA to a limited group of passengers who were on a waiting list of more than 300,000 people.

From Santa Monica Pier to Downtown, the robotaxi service is offering rides around a 79-square-mile radius in Los Angeles. The ride-hailing company, which can hold up to four passengers, says its cars have more than 20 million miles of driving experience.

Now, Waymo is now competing with ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft in the Golden State.

“Now is an exciting time to welcome everyone in Los Angeles along for the ride,” Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo said last month. “Our service has matured quickly and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving. We’re so grateful to all of our first riders in LA, and we can’t wait to serve more riders soon.”

While Waymo executives say the company's mission is to become "the world's most trusted driver" with safety at the forefront of their branding, the company has not gone without mishap.

In May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into "unexpected driving behaviors" in Waymo vehicles. The agency began its probe into the company following 22 reports of crashes and potential traffic safety law violations. Nine other reports of unsafe driving behaviors were made soon after the investigation was opened.

Many of the incidents involved Waymo vehicles doing things like driving in the Muni lanes in San Francisco, driving over an unpaved area where road work was being conducted and crashing into a utility pole.

According to the California Public Utilities Commission, cited by the San Francisco Chronicle, the company has reported being in 55 crashes — up from 27 in the previous quarter.

Currently, Waymo is offered in Phoenix, Arizona and two California cities, San Francisco, including the San Francisco Peninsula and Los Angeles. The company is working to expand its fleet across the U.S. and says it has its eyes set on Austin, Texas and Atlanta, George next.