Hyperdrive
Waymo’s Autonomous Taxi Service Tops 100,000 Rides
- Alphabet unit is expanding service with a new iPhone app
- Self-driving tech remains “extremely challenging,” CEO says
A Waymo autonomous vehicle sits parked in Chandler, Arizona in 2018.
Photographer: Caitlin O'Hara/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
More than 100,000 trips have been taken in robotaxis operated by Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Alphabet Inc. Now the service is expanding to iPhone users.
On the first anniversary of its pilot program in Chandler, Arizona, Waymo said it will begin offering an iOS app for its robot ride-hailing service for iPhones. It also revealed new details of the pioneering robotaxi service, which has been slow to offer fully autonomous service without human “safety drivers” behind the wheel to take over in an emergency.