Waymo autonomous driving development continues in Phoenix
Officials at Waymo have announced downtown Phoenix as the site in the company’s next step in autonomous driving development.
This marks the third area, in addition to the east valley of the metropolitan Phoenix area and San Francisco, where Waymo is deploying its autonomous ride-hailing service, according to a press release.
Originally conceived as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has been focused on building the Waymo Driver, its autonomous driving technology ever since inception.
Here locally, downtown Phoenix has become real-life road tests for the company’s groundbreaking technology, officials there say. Furthermore, the Waymo One Trusted Tester program is a research-focused initiative interacting with the public in downtown Phoenix, Waymo officials say essential for the future of autonomous, ride-hailing.
How it works: “Trusted Testers” use the Waymo One app to hail autonomous rides for their everyday mobility needs and provide customer feedback to Waymo developers to improve functionality. The fully electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicle is equipped with the fifth-generation Waymo Driver, a press release states.
Waymo One app users will use the Waymo One app to hail rides wherever they want to go in the designated downtown Phoenix service area, and trips will be free of charge. All rides in the program will begin with an autonomous specialist on board for now, officials say.
Looking to get involved: If you live or work in Downtown Phoenix and want to join, just download the Waymo One app. You’ll then be able to create an account and express interest in joining our “Trusted Tester” program.
