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Waymo’s autonomous taxis now offering trips on LA freeways. Here’s what you need to know
A Waymo car drives along a street on March 1, 2023, in San Francisco. The company now is offering select freeway rides in Los Angeles.
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Justin Sullivan
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Los Angeles residents who want to take Waymo’s autonomous taxis beyond the city streets can do so now that the company is offering select trips on freeways throughout the L.A. area. The move comes after Waymo conducted test rides in the region with company employees for nearly a year .
Why now: The company announced Wednesday that it will start offering freeway trips to users in L.A., San Francisco and Phoenix.
Waymo was given the regulatory go-ahead by the California Public Utilities Commission last year to drive on freeways in L.A.'s 120-square mile service area, which currently spans from Santa Monica to Echo Park.
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How it works: People who use the Waymo app can now opt into a “freeway list” of riders interested in “being among the first to experience a freeway ride directly in the app,” according to the company.
Waymo said riders will be matched with freeway routes when they're “meaningfully faster” than the surface streets. Before a trip is confirmed in the app, users will receive a notification if the route they’ve selected doesn’t involve freeways.
What officials say: Dmitri Dolgov, co-CEO of Waymo, said fully autonomous freeway rides are easy to conceive but “hard to truly master.” He said the company is proud to begin offering the option.
“This milestone is a powerful testament to the maturity of our operations and technology,” he said in a statement.
What's next: Freeway routes will gradually roll out to more users over time, according to the company. Waymo didn’t immediately respond to LAist’s request for an interview.
LAist took the self-driving cars for a test ride from downtown L.A. to Koreatown last fall and reviewed our experience . We may try out a freeway route as well.
Read on … Waymo is taking on LA freeways. Keep calm and carry on
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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