(Reuters) -Alphabet's Waymo said on Wednesday it will begin offering robotaxi rides that use freeways across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, as it steps up expansion amid competition in the self-driving industry.
Waymo, which already operates in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, is also extending operations to San Jose, including Mineta San Jose International Airport, the second airport in its service area after Phoenix Sky Harbor.
The move comes as Tesla expands its robotaxi service with
safety monitors and drivers, and Zoox - backed by Amazon - offers free robotaxi rides on and around the Las Vegas Strip.
Waymo is the only company that runs a paid robotaxi service in the U.S. without safety drivers or in-vehicle monitors. It has a robotaxi fleet with more than 1,500 vehicles.
Waymo has been growing slowly but steadily over the years, and the company, like its rivals, has faced federal investigations over unexpected driving behavior.
While operating autonomous vehicles is more challenging in a city with pedestrians, frequent intersections and unpredictable situations, any mistakes or malfunctions at high speeds on a freeway could have severe consequences.
Waymo's architecture allows its vehicles to maintain control even if one system fails, it said, adding it developed new freeway protocols with local highway patrols and safety agencies.
Freeway rides will initially be available to early-access users, Waymo said. "When a freeway route is meaningfully faster, they can be matched with a freeway trip, providing quicker, smoother, and more efficient rides," it said.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru and Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Chris Reese)
