Waymo launches paid automated taxi rides in Los Angeles

Google’s Waymo robotaxi service started rolling in Los Angeles Wednesday in a major expansion for its automated taxis.

Customers will have access to 50 of Waymo’s autonomous vehicles covering 63 square miles from Santa Monica to downtown L.A. Users can order an autonomous taxi ride via the Waymo app, but they need patience; the company’s waitlist is over 50,000 people.

“The reception from Angelenos so far has been exceptional, and we look forward to welcoming more riders into our service over time,” Waymo product management director Chris Ludwick said in a statement.

Waymo provided free promotional rides for over a month in Los Angeles while it awaited final regulatory approval. Now L.A. is the third city where Waymo offers commercial rides after  Phoenix and San Francisco.

Waymo is officially the only prominent robotaxi service in L.A. after General Motors’ Cruise had its license revoked last year.

The Los Angeles start has faced significant criticism from citizens, regulators and the Teamsters.

In the leadup to this week’s launch, Teamsters members held rallies outside of Waymo’s L.A. headquarters, saying the emergence of self-driving cars is a threat to drivers’ job security.

Federal and state regulators have expressed concerns about the safety record of self-driving cars.

Despite all that, proponents of self-driving cars and autonomous taxi services say the technology has a better safety record than human drivers and will make rides cheaper for customers.