Waymo has launched a commercial ridesharing service using self-driving cars in the Phoenix area. It’s the first U. S. company to generate revenue by putting passengers in autonomous cars. Waymo One is only available to a select group of riders, but Waymo will expand the service to other riders in other cities.
Waymo’s self-driving car program has reached a significant milestone. On December 5, the company began charging users in and around Phoenix, Arizona, for rides in its autonomous cars. Aptly named Waymo One, the program makes Waymo the first company in America to generate revenue by giving rides in autonomous cars. It’s a step towards recouping the billions of dollars spent on developing the technology over the past 10 years.
Waymo One works a lot like Uber in the sense that customers request a ride 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by using a purpose-designed smartphone application. After opening the app, they select their pick-up point and their destination, and the app shows how long it will take for a car to show up plus how much the ride will cost. Users can then accept the ride or cancel it. Once on the road, the app tracks the ride, provides the estimated time of arrival, and immediately puts riders in touch with a support agent if they have any questions.
