Autonomous public transit trips provided by Waymo and Via to take place in Arizona.
Waymo Expands Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service in Chandler, Arizona
Waymo, Alphabet Inc.'s self-driving unit, is set to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service in Chandler, Arizona this fall. This marks the city's continued commitment to innovation in public transportation.
Since 2020, Chandler has been the first city where Waymo offered its driverless ride-hailing service. Now, the partnership between Waymo and Via Transportation Inc., a public transit software maker, aims to further enhance the city's transit system.
Under the partnership, some users in Chandler will have the option to book a driverless ride with the Waymo app during periods of high demand. The driverless rides will operate under the same hours and prices as the city's Flex program, with a charge of $2 per ride.
The addition of Waymo rides in Chandler will help expand the capacity of its Flex public "microtransit" service. Via Transportation Inc. has implemented demand-matching and routing technology in Chandler since it launched the partnership in 2022. This technology allows the city government to monitor service performance and meet federal funding, compliance, and accessibility reporting requirements.
Last year, Waymo started a public-transit credit program in San Francisco. Currently, Waymo provides hundreds of thousands of paid autonomous trips each week via its own app and through partners in five US markets.
By integrating its driverless vehicles into the city's transit program, Waymo aims to ensure better utilization of its cars while maintaining accessibility at a lower price point. Public partnerships are an important new area of expansion for self-driving companies, and this collaboration in Chandler, Texas is a significant step forward in this direction.
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