With companies like Waymo, the driverless division of Google’s parent company Alphabet, autonomous cars are gradually becoming fewer and less cars in the real world are becoming more realistic.
Waymo said in April that it will start driving vehicles on the streets of Tokyo, the company’s first international location. It also partnered with Uber to offer its Robotaxi in the Ride Hailing app in selected cities such as Atlanta and Austin, Texas. Waymo said Tuesday it reached a preliminary agreement with Toyota to “explorate collaboration” to develop autonomous driving technology that could one day be incorporated into individually owned vehicles.
Waymo currently provides fully autonomous rides to the public in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin, Texas. In January, the company announced it would also begin testing of manually-driven vehicles in 10 new cities this year, starting with Las Vegas and San Diego. It plans to provide rides in Washington, DC and Miami starting in 2026.
The self-driving rides took place on the all-electric Jaguar I-pace, but in October, Waymo announced a partnership with Hyundai to bring its next-generation technology to the Ioniq 5 SUVS. Over the next few years, riders will be able to use the Waymo One app to gather those fully electric self-driving cars.
Waymo says it offers over 200,000 paid trips per week. I praised myself for a few rides in San Francisco and it seemed offensive at first (especially seeing the steering wheel turn itself), I quickly adjusted and it quickly felt like a regular ride.
This is not to say that Waymo has no push when it launches more cities. The company’s vehicles were involved in a handful of compelling collisions, including a biker in San Francisco and another biker in Phoenix with a tow pickup truck. (It recalled and updated its software to resolve the issue.) Waymo said on concerns, at 14.8 million miles, its autonomous Waymo drive technology “has up to 3.5 times more effective in avoiding crashes that cause injuries, and avoiding police-reported crashes in SF and Phoeenix better than those of human drivers.” It also released a data center last year, detailing efforts to use its technology to improve road safety.
As Waymo continues to expand and develop its autonomous driving technology, if you happen to be in one of the few cities where the company currently operates its fleet, it is the way and where to summon Robotaxi.
Watch the following: Test Waymo’s safe exit feature in self-driving taxi
Take a car in Phoenix
Phoenix is the first city in 2020 to open up completely autonomous Waymo to the public. To hype, download the Waymo One app on iOS or Android. The service runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can also use the Uber app to summon Waymo’s vehicles in Phoenix. When you ask for Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort Electric Ride, you will have the option to confirm the Waymo ride if you match.
In addition to riding, you may also be offered Uber dining by self-driving cars. When placing an order in Phoenix, you may receive “Automatic cars may deliver your order”. When the Waymo car arrives, carry your phone with you to open the suitcase and grab your delivery. If you want humans to provide food, you can opt out during checkout.
Car ride in San Francisco
After Phoenix, San Francisco launched a fully automatic ride at the end of 2022. It canceled the waiting list in June, so now anyone can download a Waymo app at any time. The service is also operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is currently no Uber partnership in San Francisco.
In August, Waymo expanded its ride to the San Francisco Peninsula, adding 10 square miles and ventured into Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma. In March, it expanded again so that select Waymo living in Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Alto, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale part of riders can also choose to hail there. The company said it plans to expand to more riders over time.
Car rides in Los Angeles
In November, Waymo canceled its waitlist for Los Angeles and began to welcome all public riders through the Waymo One app. Now any interested passenger can jump into the 24/7 robot and cross nearly 90 square miles of Los Angeles County, including Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood and downtown Los Angeles – the plan will soon expand to more areas.
Car ride in Austin
In Austin, the only way to ride hail is through Uber – there is no Waymo app here. By requesting Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort Electric, you might match your Waymo vehicle – and you won’t be charged. If you don’t want to ride a driverless ride, you can choose to switch to the standard one. On the other hand, if you want to increase your chances of matching your self-driving car, you can go account > set up > Self-driving cars, Then press the next to switch Get more Waymo rides.
Unlock the door, pop out the suitcase, and start riding from the Uber app. You will still be asked to rate the ride at the end – but will not be asked to tip.
If there are any issues, riders can get 24/7 artificial support through the Uber app and the Waymo vehicle inside (with screens in front and rear, allowing quick customer support).
As part of the Uber partnership, Uber will manage tasks such as vehicle cleaning and repair, and “Waymo will continue to be responsible for Waymo driver testing and operations, including roadside assistance and certain Rider Support Support features.” The collaboration should allow more people to access autonomous rides, and they don’t have to download separate apps to ride Robotaxi now.
Waymo currently operates within 37 square miles of the city and plans to expand in the future.
Take a ride in Atlanta
Like in Austin, Uber will soon allow Atlanta riders to call Waymo Robotaxi. The service is scheduled to be launched in the summer, but interested riders can join the waitlist to increase the chances of matching the Waymo vehicle once the option is available.
To join the Atlanta interest list, make sure your Uber app is up to date and go to account > set up And find Self-driving cars exist ride Preference menu. Then click Add to interest list.
Riders who join the interest list may have the opportunity to ride with Waymo before the public release. If selected, they will be notified within the application and will be notified by email.
According to Uber, the service will be launched across Atlanta with plans to expand in the future. You don’t have to pay more for a Waymo ride than a standard Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric ride, and you’ll see pre-priced in the app. You can unlock the vehicle and start traveling from the Uber app and have access to human support 24/7 through the Uber app and the vehicle’s internals.
Coming soon: Washington, DC, Miami and Tokyo
Waymo plans to start offering rides in the Waymo One app in Washington, D.C. in 2026. The company returned to the U.S. capital in January to test its autonomous driving technology. It said in late March it is bringing more vehicles to the city and working to expand year-round service. “Will continue to work closely with decision makers to keep them in the area’s required regulations without anyone doing the operation behind the wheels in the area,” Waymo said in a blog post.
You also have to wait until 2026 to ride a Waymo in Miami. The company has been conducting weather testing in the eventual launch and noted in a blog post: “Our road trips to the rainy conditions that we challenged in Sunshine State are invaluable to improve our autonomous driving capabilities.”
Waymo will work with Moove, a fintech company that first provides vehicle financing in Phoenix, where Moove will manage fleet operations, facilities and paid infrastructure for Robotaxi. “Waymo will continue to provide our services through the Waymo One app and will continue to be responsible for the verification and operation of Waymo Driver,” the company said in a blog post.
Waymo’s Tokyo expansion announced in December is in partnership with Japanese taxi services Nihon Kotsu and Taxi App Go. In April, the autonomous driving company shared that it was finally ready to go abroad.
Waymo said the trained Nihon Kotsu driver will manually drive his vehicle through seven Tokyo wards, including Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Chūō, Shinagawa and Kōtō. This will enable engineers to test and tweak Waymo’s autonomous driving technology to suit local road functions and traffic.
“In Tokyo, we adhere to the same firm principles that guide us in the United States – a commitment to security, committed to earning trust in the communities we operate, and working with local officials and community groups in Tokyo,” Nicole Gavel, Waymo’s head of business development, said in a statement.
It is not clear when riders will be able to take self-driving with Waymo in Tokyo.
The road of the future: the vehicle of the future
In August, Waymo unveiled its sixth-generation autonomous driving technology, which strives to expand the capabilities of its unmanned fleet. Smarter sensors are designed to help cars navigate better in extreme weather, Waymo said. The sixth generation driver will ride in an all-electric Zeekr vehicle with flat floors, more head and legroom, adjustable seats, and a movable steering wheel and pedal. The updated technology is still under test, but the company says it will be available to riders soon.
In October, Waymo also announced a partnership with Hyundai to integrate its sixth-generation driver into the all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV, which will add to the Waymo One Freet over time, according to a blog post. The two companies added that they “planned to produce a fleet of Ioniq 5s with Waymo technology to support Waymo One’s growing scale over the years. “Testing with these vehicles will begin at the end of 2025 and will be conducted “in the following years.”
Currently, every day riders cannot ride Waymo vehicles on highways and highways, but that may change soon. As shown in an exclusive video shared with CNET in May, the company is testing fully autonomous rides on the highway in Phoenix. Now, it is also providing fully automatic highway rides for Waymo employees in Los Angeles.
Waymo is also working to expand its autonomous driving technology into trucking, but said last year it temporarily reduced those efforts to focus on Waymo One rides. “Our ongoing investment drives Waymo driver capabilities, especially on highways, will be translated directly into trucks and benefit from their development efforts,” it noted.
