Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, is now available to select members of the public in Los Angeles (LA). The announcement was made by Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana during a session at SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Waymo will initially offer rides in a 63-square-mile area from Santa Monica to Downtown LA, with plans to scale operations over time. The initial rides will be free, and the service will transition to paid in the coming weeks. Waymo will gradually onboard the 50,000-plus people on the LA waitlist and continue to distribute temporary codes at local events.
Waymo has been evaluating the “Waymo Driver” in LA for more than a year since announcing it as the third ride-hailing city, following Phoenix and San Francisco. Last October, Waymo invited a broad cross-section of LA residents to experience the “driver” during the Waymo One Tour. Residents have taken more than 15,000 fully autonomous rides in the past five months, with an average trip rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Waymo’s LA expansion comes two weeks after the California Public Utilities Commission approved the expansion, overriding safety concerns from city transportation officials. Waymo is expanding into LA seven months after California regulators authorized its robotaxis to begin charging for around-the-clock rides throughout San Francisco, despite objections from local officials.
Waymo plans to start offering commercial services in Austin later this year, expanding its robotaxi operations to four major U.S. cities. The company began as a secret project within Google 15 years ago and has been providing rides in Phoenix since 2020. “After achieving key milestones in each city, we’re so excited to bring the safety, comfort and delight of our Waymo One service to more people in Los Angeles and Austin this year,” says Mawakana.
