Waymo’s driverless car is hitting the streets of Tokyo. This is everything about Robotaxi services
With companies like Waymo, the driverless division of Google’s parent company Alphabet, autonomous vehicles are gradually becoming less and less, while cars in the real world are becoming more realistic, expanding to more cities and countries.
Waymo said Wednesday it will start driving vehicles on the streets of Tokyo, the company’s first international location. Waymo announced its December expansion, which is being conducted in partnership with Japanese taxi services Nihon Kotsu and Taxi App Go. Now, the U.S.-based company is finally ready to land abroad.
Waymo said the trained Nihon Kotsu driver will manually drive his vehicle through seven Tokyo wards, including Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Chūō, Shinagawa and Kōtō. This will enable engineers to test and tweak Waymo’s autonomous driving technology to suit local road functions and traffic.
“In Tokyo, we adhere to the same firm principles that guide us in the United States – a commitment to security, committed to earning trust in the communities we operate, and working with local officials and community groups in Tokyo,” Nicole Gavel, Waymo’s head of business development, said in a statement.
Waymo currently runs fully automated rides in the public in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin, Texas. In January, the company announced it would also begin testing of manually-driven vehicles in 10 new cities this year, starting with Las Vegas and San Diego. It also plans to expand to Atlanta later this year through a partnership with Uber, and will start offering rides in Washington, D.C. from 2026 through its Waymo One app.
The self-driving rides took place on the all-electric Jaguar I-pace, but in October, Waymo announced a partnership with Hyundai to bring its next-generation technology to the Ioniq 5 SUVS. Over the next few years, riders will be able to use the Waymo One app to gather those fully electric self-driving cars.
Waymo says it offers over 200,000 paid trips per week. I praised myself for a few rides in San Francisco and it seemed offensive at first (especially seeing the steering wheel turn itself), I quickly adjusted and it quickly felt like a regular ride.
This is not to say that Waymo has no push when it launches more cities. The company’s vehicles were involved in a handful of dramatic collisions, including one cyclist in San Francisco and another with a trailer truck in Phoenix. (It recalled and updated its software to resolve the issue.) Waymo said on concerns, at 14.8 million miles, its autonomous Waymo drive technology “has up to 3.5 times more effective in avoiding crashes that cause injuries, and avoiding police-reported crashes in SF and Phoeenix better than those of human drivers.” It also released a data center last year, detailing efforts to use its technology to improve road safety.
As Waymo continues to expand and develop its autonomous driving technology, if you happen to be in one of the few cities where the company currently operates its fleet, it is the way and where to summon Robotaxi.
Watch the following: Test Waymo’s safe exit feature in self-driving taxi
Take a car in Phoenix
Phoenix is the first city in 2020 to open up completely autonomous Waymo to the public. To hype, download the Waymo One app on iOS or Android. The service runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can also use the Uber app to summon Waymo’s vehicles in Phoenix. When you ask for Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort Electric Ride, you will have the option to confirm the Waymo ride if you match.
In addition to riding, you may also be offered Uber dining by self-driving cars. When placing an order in Phoenix, you may receive “Automatic cars may deliver your order”. When the Waymo car arrives, carry your phone with you to open the suitcase and grab your delivery. If you want humans to provide food, you can opt out during checkout.
Car ride in San Francisco
After Phoenix, San Francisco launched fully autonomous rides by the end of 2022. It canceled the waiting list in June, so now anyone can download the Waymo One Ane app. The service is also operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is currently no Uber partnership in San Francisco.
In August, Waymo expanded its ride to the San Francisco Peninsula, adding 10 square miles and ventured into Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma. In March, it expanded again so that select Waymo living in Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Alto, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale part of riders can also choose to hail there. The company said it plans to expand to more riders over time.
Car rides in Los Angeles
In November, Waymo canceled its waitlist for Los Angeles and began to welcome all public riders through the Waymo One app. Now any interested passenger can jump into the 24/7 robot and cross nearly 90 square miles of Los Angeles County, including Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood and downtown Los Angeles – the plan will soon expand to more areas.
Car ride in Austin
In Austin, the only way to ride hail is through Uber – there is no Waymo app here. By requesting Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort Electric, you might match your Waymo vehicle – and you won’t be charged. If you don’t want to ride a driverless ride, you can choose to switch to the standard one. On the other hand, if you want to increase your chances of matching your self-driving car, you can go account > set up > Self-driving cars, Then press the next to switch Get more Waymo rides.
Unlock the door, pop out the suitcase, and start riding from the Uber app. You will still be asked to rate the ride at the end – but will not be asked to tip.
If you have any issues, riders can get 24/7 artificial support through the UBER app and the Waymo vehicle inside (there are screens in front and rear that allow you to quickly summon customer support).
As part of the Uber partnership, Uber will manage tasks such as vehicle cleaning and repair, and “Waymo will continue to be responsible for Waymo driver testing and operations, including roadside assistance and certain Rider Support Support features.” The collaboration should allow more people to access autonomous rides, and they don’t have to download separate apps to ride Robotaxi now.
Waymo currently operates within 37 square miles of the city and plans to expand in the future.
Coming soon: Atlanta, Washington, DC and Miami
In Atlanta, public riders can capture driverless rides through the UBER app starting in early 2025. Waymo employees are currently the only one in Atlanta who can praise a fully self-driving car.
Public members of Atlanta can be added to the list of interests and notified when the ride is available.
Meanwhile, Waymo plans to start providing rides in Washington, D.C. in 2026. The company returned to the U.S. capital in January to test its autonomous driving technology. It said in late March it is bringing more vehicles to the city and working to expand year-round service. “Will continue to work closely with decision makers to keep them in the area’s required regulations without anyone doing the operation behind the wheels in the area,” Waymo said in a blog post.
You also have to wait until 2026 to ride a Waymo in Miami. The company has been conducting weather testing in the eventual launch and noted in a blog post: “Our road trips to the rainy conditions that we challenged in Sunshine State are invaluable to improve our autonomous driving capabilities.”
Waymo will work with Moove, a fintech company that first provides vehicle financing in Phoenix, where Moove will manage fleet operations, facilities and paid infrastructure for Robotaxi. “Waymo will continue to provide our services through the Waymo One app and will continue to be responsible for the verification and operation of Waymo Driver,” the company said in a blog post.
The road of the future: the vehicle of the future
In August, Waymo unveiled its sixth-generation autonomous driving technology, aiming to expand the capabilities of its unmanned fleet. Smarter sensors are designed to help cars navigate better in extreme weather, Waymo said. The sixth generation driver will ride in an all-electric Zeekr vehicle with flat floors, more head and legroom, adjustable seats, and a movable steering wheel and pedal. The updated technology is still under test, and the company says it will be available to riders soon.
In October, Waymo also announced a partnership with Hyundai to integrate its sixth-generation driver into the all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV, which will add to the Waymo One Freet over time, according to a blog post. The two companies added that they “planned to produce a fleet of Ioniq 5s with Waymo technology to support Waymo One’s growing scale over the years. “Testing with these vehicles will begin at the end of 2025 and will be conducted “in the following years.”
Currently, every day riders cannot ride Waymo vehicles on highways and highways, but that may change soon. As shown in an exclusive video shared with CNET in May, the company is testing fully autonomous rides on the highway in Phoenix. Now, it is also providing fully automatic highway rides for Waymo employees in Los Angeles.
Waymo is also working to expand its autonomous driving technology into trucking, but said last year it temporarily reduced those efforts and focused on the Waymo One. “Our ongoing investment drives Waymo driver capabilities, especially on highways, will be translated directly into trucks and benefit from their development efforts,” it noted.
