It just got much easier to take a robotaxi ride in Los Angeles. Waymo announced on Tuesday that anyone in the Californian city can now take fully autonomous rides, removing the need to join a wait list.
Alphabet-owned Waymo started offering paid robotaxi rides in Los Angeles earlier this year via its Waymo One app, but strong demand resulted in a waitlist of nearly 300,000 people to join the service.
But now anyone can download the app and book a ride using self-driving Waymo car.
“Now is an exciting time to welcome everyone in Los Angeles along for the ride,” Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO, Waymo, said in a post on Waymo’s website. “Our service has matured quickly and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving.”
Waymo riders can now criss-cross nearly 80 square miles of LA County, with the company planning to expand its service area over time to cover more of the city.
To date, driverless Waymo cars have taken care of hundreds of thousands of paid trips throughout the city, with riders rating the experience at 4.7/5 on average. Also, a recent survey by Waymo of Los Angeles riders found that 98% were satisfied with the service.
But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the company in recent months. Earlier this year, the U.S. government’s highway safety agency launched an investigation into crashes and alleged traffic violations involving Waymo’s autonomous cars, which besides Los Angeles also operate in San Francisco and Phoenix. And there was also the recent case of Waymo cars keeping residents awake at night as they honked their horns incessantly for no apparent reason. Waymo has since implemented a fix.
