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Waymo is a robotaxi service owned by Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company. Waymo was originally founded by Google, known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, and was eventually spun out into its own company after seven years of research and development.
Google began developing Waymo and its self-driving technology in 2009 at the Google X Lab, led by Google co-founder Sergey Brin. After testing the technology for about two years, Google and the New York Times revealed its existence in 2010.
At the time, U.S. lawmakers expressed concern about the lack of regulation for this new field of technology. Google was a prominent supporter and lobbied for regulation. By 2012, the Nevada Department of Transportation had approved a self-driving Prius powered by Google software. This is the first time self-driving cars have been approved in the United States.
In 2022, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai plans to move away from Google by giving Waymo and other Alphabet subsidiaries discretion to design job structures and compensation outside of Google’s job structure. I kept my distance.
Waymo has been affected by Google’s layoffs in recent years, with the company cutting about 8% of Waymo’s workforce in 2023.
Despite the reorganization, Waymo’s offices are still located in Mountain View, California, a short drive from Google’s global headquarters, the Googleplex.
What does Waymo do?
Waymo first began public operations in Phoenix in 2020. That service has waiting lists in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
Waymo uses its self-driving vehicles to provide driverless taxi services in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.
In 2014, Google received a patent for a self-driving vehicle transportation service funded by advertising fees. In May of the same year, Google unveiled a prototype self-driving car with no gas or brake pedals or steering wheel.
In 2015, they provided the first fully autonomous vehicle to a legally blind friend of lead engineer Nathaniel Fairfield. Unlike previous tests, there was no police escort or test driver, and this was not a closed-course test.
In 2016, the self-driving car project was spun out of Google and became a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc. At this time, the company also ordered 100 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans to test the technology. The following year, the company was able to reduce manufacturing costs by 90% and partnered with other automakers and ride-sharing service Lyft.
Waymo began public works in Phoenix in 2020.
Who can use Waymo?
So far, Waymo only operates in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, but it plans to open in Austin by the end of 2024.
Potential riders can sign up for the company’s services. Waymo One service Download the Waymo One app from Google Play or iOS App Store. Waymo is currently widely available to the public in Phoenix, but there is a waiting list for the service in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. Like its major competitors, potential passengers are shown the fare at the time of booking.
Waymo ride prices are based on the distance and duration of your trip, in addition to the minimum fare charged for all trips. When a Business Insider reporter tested the technology in Phoenix in April 2023, a 5-mile, 20-minute Waymo ride cost $11, the same price as an Uber ride to the same location.
Waymo has had many accidents.
As with any new technology, or indeed any vehicle, accidents can occur. In February 2024, Waymo voluntarily recalled and updated its robotaxi software after two of its self-driving cars collided with the same pickup truck in Phoenix.
This was the latest in a series of incidents over the past few weeks that have affected multiple companies. A few weeks ago, a Waymo vehicle collided with a bicyclist in San Francisco without causing fatal injuries, but rival Cruise Corp. suspended operations in October after a crash hit and dragged a pedestrian. .