Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is expanding its autonomous ride-hailing service areas in San Francisco and Los Angeles to meet growing customer demand, the company announced on Tuesday. This move comes as competitors like General Motors and Amazon.com’s Zoox are making significant investments in driverless car technology amid stringent regulatory scrutiny.
Waymo One’s service will now cover additional areas in San Francisco, including Daly City, Broadmoor, and Colma. In Los Angeles, the service will expand to Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Playa Vista, and parts of Hollywood, Chinatown, and Westwood.
Alphabet has committed to a $5 billion investment in Waymo over several years, as stated by finance chief Ruth Porat last month, to support the self-driving unit’s growth plans. Last month, Waymo ended its waiting lists in San Francisco, opening its Waymo One service to the public, mirroring a similar action taken in Phoenix, Arizona, four years ago.
The broader tech industry is heavily investing in autonomous driving systems, despite the high costs and the long timeline before these technologies become significantly profitable. On Tuesday, Uber reported that trips made by self-driving vehicles on its platform increased sixfold in the second quarter, supported by partnerships with companies like Waymo for ride-sharing and food delivery services.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also been emphasizing artificial intelligence, autonomous driving software, robotaxis, and a humanoid robot named Optimus to counter a slowdown in electric vehicle sales, which account for approximately 78% of the company’s quarterly revenue.
Featured Image courtesy of Washington Post
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