Current location:sport >>
Waymo's robotaxi service expands into Los Angeles, starting free rides in parts of the city
sport196People have gathered around
IntroductionWayMo's driverless taxi service expands to streets of LA 01:41 ...
Robotaxis will begin cruising the streets of Los Angeles on Thursday when Google spinoff Waymo starts offering free rides to some of the roughly 50,000 people who have signed up for its driverless ride-hailing service.
Waymo is expanding into Los Angeles, the second largest U.S. city, seven months after California regulators authorized its robotaxis to begin charging for around-the-clock rides throughout San Francisco. That came despite objections from local officials who asserted the driverless vehicles posed unacceptable risks to public safety.
Although Waymo isn't charging for rides in its robotaxis in Los Angeles to start, the company said in a blog post announcing the expansion that it will eventually collect fares from passengers there too. Waymo also hopes to begin commercial operations in Austin, Texas, later this year, a goal that makes its robotaxi service available in four major U.S. cities 15 years after it began as a secret project within Google. Waymo's robotaxis have been charging for rides in Phoenix since 2020.
For now, Waymo's free rides in Los Angeles will cover a 63-square-mile (101-square-kilometer) area spanning from Santa Monica to downtown.
Waymo is launching operations in Los Angeles two weeks after the California Public Utilities Commission approved the expansion in a decision that once again overrode the concerns of city transportation officials about robotaxis coming to sudden stops that block roads and the potential for driverless vehicles to malfunction in more serious ways that could jeopardize lives.
The worst fears about robotaxis were realized in San Francisco last October when a vehicle operated by Cruise, a driverless ride-hailing service owned by General Motors, dragged a pedestrian who was hit by another car operated by a human for 20 feet (6 meters) while traveling at roughly 7 mph (11 kph) before coming to a stop. The incident resulted in California regulators suspending Cruise's state license and triggered a massive shakeup at that service.
Waymo's robotaxis so far haven't been involved in any major accidents.
More from CBS News
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“International Iterations news portal”。http://www.videocameralive.com/content-84e399883.html
Related articles
Details of UK military personnel exposed in huge payroll data breach
sportLONDON (AP) — British officials say the names and bank details of thousands of serving British soldi ...
【sport】
Read moreYoung talents key to science, tech innovation
sportBy Lin Rupeng (China Daily) 09:40, February 28, 2024Lin Rupeng [Photo from China Higher Education]Ch ...
【sport】
Read moreGM China joint venture sees soaring vehicle export in Q1
sportNANNING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW), a joint venture between SAIC Motor, General Mot ...
【sport】
Read more
Popular articles
- Revealed: The '18 DEMANDS' Muslim Vote group issued to Keir Starmer after dozens of pro
- Xi Congratulates Pellegrini on Election as President of Slovakia
- Desert county in NW China's Xinjiang experiences bountiful cistanche harvest
- China works to promote energy conservation, carbon reduction in construction industry
- Guardians place AL
- Xi Focus: Xi Jinping meets Ma Ying
Latest articles
Judges ask whether lawmakers could draw up new House map in time for this year's elections
Protection of Erhai Lake in SW China's Yunnan yields economic benefits
Xi Congratulates Pellegrini on Election as President of Slovakia
Protection of Erhai Lake in SW China's Yunnan yields economic benefits
How the late Queen's 'favourite' daughter
East China's Suzhou to hold cultural event in Singapore
LINKS
- UN refugee agency tells Cyprus to stick to the law in its efforts at sea to thwart refugee boats
- Start of Sen. Bob Menendez's bribery trial is delayed a week to mid
- Would you like a cicada salad? The monstrous little noisemakers descend on a New Orleans menu
- Taylor Swift 'calls out Kadarius Toney' on The Tortured Poets Department song about Travis Kelce
- Lacazette ready to play for Lyon against PSG after face injury
- Claire Danes carries umbrella for bundled
- Indianapolis official La Keisha Jackson to fill role of late state Sen. Jean Breaux
- Meghan Markle models 'love like a mother' t
- Beijing Half Marathon champion has medal taken away after other runners slowed down to let him win
- JAN MOIR: Another day, another desperate Montecito dollar. This time with jam on it!