Waymo is on the verge of becoming the world’s first commercial self-driving taxi service. According to Bloomberg, Google’s autonomous driving division Waymo will launch the world’s first autonomous taxi service early this December. Waymo will launch this service under a new brand name that is yet to be disclosed.
Here To Take On Uber And Lyft
According to a source, the new brand name is a “closely guarded secret,” at least until the time for the formal presentation. Instead of launching the service with pomp and fare, Google will offer the service to a limited amount of customers to test it and get their feedback and suggestions. The service will be available in the Phoenix suburbs, covering an area of around 100 square miles.
What They Had To Say
According to Bloomberg’s intelligent mobility analyst, Nick Albanese, “This positions Waymo really far ahead of everyone else. GM is the other leader, and they’re probably more than a year away from doing this. It’s very impressive.”
It’s Not 100-percent Foolproof Yet
The initial batch of riders will include 400 volunteer families that will most likely come from Waymo’s Early Rider Program that have been riding the company’s autonomous test cars for more than a year.
Waymo may have gotten a headstart here, but this also leaves them subject to negative marketing and criticism in case of any untoward incident. Nevertheless, this is a great stride moving forward and will open a lot more avenues in autonomous taxi services. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments section below.
Further reading
Waymo and Honda May Develop an Autonomous Delivery Vehicle After All