Waymo Expands Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service Across California Cities
Waymo has secured approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to expand its fully autonomous ride-hailing service across the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Diego. The company plans a gradual rollout, guided by its safety framework, with ongoing updates to local officials and residents.
The expansion is part of Waymo's efforts to scale up its operations nationwide. The company currently offers public services in several cities, including Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Orlando, and Nashville. With this approval, Waymo aims to increase its weekly trip volumes from the current 500,000 paid rides per week to a million.
Waymo's parent company, Alphabet Inc., has dismissed speculation about spinning off Waymo as a separate entity. CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized the value of long-term investment capacity and stated that the unit is best positioned within Alphabet's Other Bets structure with strong internal support.