- Waymo riders can now travel on highways in three cities.
- This promises to speed up trips and make rides more useful.
- Coverage has also been expanded in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Robotaxis promise to transform transportation, but they’ve been held back by a number of limitations. Waymo is lifting a huge one as their vehicles can now drive on highways.
This is a notable change as most riders had been limited to city streets. This was fine if you didn’t need to travel far, but it was less than ideal if you needed to go more than a few miles.
More: Waymo Quietly Moves Ahead Of Tesla In The Race For Robotaxis
As the company explained, “Freeway trips make Waymo even more convenient and efficient, whether you’re headed to Sky Harbor International Airport, cruising from Downtown LA to Culver City, or commuting in our newly expanded Bay Area service.”
Waymo didn’t say much about the move, but confirmed they’ll begin welcoming riders to use freeways in Phoenix, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The company will apparently take a gradual approach as they noted freeway access will be granted to a “growing number of public riders.”
The service will be introduced to more people over time and the company suggested it could eventually expand to other cities including Austin, Atlanta, and beyond.
Speaking of growing service areas, Waymo announced a big expansion in the San Francisco Bay Area. Coverage will now include the “entire peninsula” expanding service from “San Francisco all the way down to San Jose, including curbside service at San Jose Mineta International Airport.”
That’s quite a development and it builds on previous plans to bring robotaxis to Detroit, Las Vegas, and San Diego. Waymo is also heading to London in 2026 as the company is eyeing global expansion.
