(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
No more waitlist: Waymo is opening up its self-driving cars to all users in Los Angeles.
The company started offering Waymo rides to select users in the city in March. Since then, its self-driving vehicles have made hundreds of thousands of paid trips while earning an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars from users. "In fact, riders recently surveyed in LA said that 98% are satisfied with our service and 96% find it useful," Waymo said in an announcement.
It looks like the Alphabet-owned company is now confident it can serve an even wider customer base in Los Angeles. “Our service has matured quickly and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving,” says Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana.
The change is an important test for Waymo since Los Angeles is the second largest city in the US by population. Nearly 300,000 people have already joined the local waitlist to try a Waymo.
“Riders can now traverse nearly 80 sq miles of LA County, and we intend to grow our service area to cover more of the city in the future,” Waymo added. (LA County spans over 4,000 square miles.)
During a July test drive in LA, we found Waymo's driverless taxis to offer smooth rides, though it sometimes took time to summon one. Plus, without freeway access or rides to and from LAX, the Alphabet-owned company has some kinks to work out.
The company recently raised another $5.6 billion from private investors during an “oversubscribed” funding round. The goal is to grow Waymo in its existing service areas while also testing the self-driving tech in cities like Buffalo, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Interested users can hail the company’s self-driving vehicles by downloading the Waymo One app. The company’s autonomous vehicles also operate in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin. "Across our markets of Metro Phoenix, the SF Bay Area and LA, members of the public now take over 150,000 rides per week," Waymo told PCMag.