Waymo is now operating fully autonomous vehicles in Detroit.
Waymo ride-hailing is not yet open to the public, but the company's vehicles will be giving rides to Waymo employees, according to a Waymo spokesperson in an email on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The focus for these rides will remain close to the heart of the city, but the area of operation is expected to expand.
“We’ll continue driving in the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods like Corktown, Midtown, Hamtramck and Indian Village, as we work to gradually expand across the broader metropolitan area over time,” according to the email from spokesman Chris Bonelli. “Rides will initially only be available to Waymo employees, as we work to open our doors to public riders in the future. We’ll follow
our safety framework and serve riders in Detroit when we’ve properly validated our technology in the city and our local operations are ready.”
The decision to begin autonomous driving in Detroit “follows months spent familiarizing the Waymo Driver with the city, coordinating closely with local officials, and engaging with community members to understand their transportation needs and how their technology can best serve them,” according to Bonelli.
The shift to fully autonomous drives is notable. The company said less than a month ago that trained specialists remained at the wheel of its vehicles and that it had not yet begun fully autonomous testing in Detroit. The company announced last year that it would expand operations to Detroit.
Waymo already operates in a number of cities, including San Francisco; Los Angeles; Austin, Texas, and Phoenix, where the company launched its first robotaxi service in 2020.
The company touted its safety record in the message to the Detroit Free Press, noting that “over more than 270 million fully autonomous miles across its operating cities, the Waymo Driver was involved in 95% fewer crashes causing serious or fatal injury compared to human drivers in the same areas.”
Waymo operations have not come without issues or controversy, however.
That includes a National Transportation Safety Board investigation into a crash in January in Santa Monica, California, in which a Waymo vehicle “struck a 9-year-old child in a school zone, resulting in minor injuries,” according to the NTSB.
There was also a situation where dozens of Waymos blocked traffic during July 4 festivities in San Francisco.
Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press, and he also writes about recreational vehicles, boats and bikes. Send your tips and suggestions to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Waymo starts driverless rides in Detroit; public service planned
