Waymo has announced the opening of its fully driverless service to the general public in Phoenix, Arizona. The driverless service will be offered to current Waymo One riders initially. However, Waymo expects to invite more people through the company’s mobile app, which is available on Google Play and through the App Store.
“We expect our new fully driverless service to be very popular, and we’re thankful to our riders for their patience as we ramp up availability to serve demand,” writes Waymo CEO John Krafcik in a recent blog post. “Later this year, after we’ve finished adding in-vehicle barriers between the front row and the rear passenger cabin for in-vehicle hygiene and safety, we’ll also be re-introducing rides with a trained vehicle operator, which will add capacity and allow us to serve a larger geographical area.”
Waymo One customers will be serviced by one of the company’s Chrysler Pacifica minivans. Earlier this year, FCA and Waymo expanded their autonomous driving partnership. Similarly, Volvo Car Group also announced earlier this year that Waymo would serve as the automaker’s exclusive Level 4 partner.
