Waymo robotaxi opens access to all in Los Angeles

Los Angeles residents can now order robotaxis from their phones after Google’s autonomous vehicle company Waymo ended its waitlist Tuesday.

Waymo thus opened access to all customers who download the company’s Waymo One app. Los Angelenos now have access to Waymo’s AVs in about 80 square miles of the city.

Waymo has been operational in L.A. for years but has only recently been offering commercial rides to customers in the area. After announcing plans to expand into the city in 2022, the company has been offering rides to staff and some interested customers, who would need to sign up for the waitlist. 

This week’s expansion is the second time Waymo has ended its waitlist period in one of its operational cities. Last June, the company ended its waitlist in San Francisco after several years of testing. 

Waymo operates its robotaxis in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin, Texas. However, the company is fully available to customers in only L.A., San Francisco and Phoenix. 

The waitlist’s removal will likely make Waymo more popular in Los Angeles.

In Oct, Waymo announced it provides over 150,000 paid robotaxi rides per week in its operational cities. 

Additionally, Waymo is riding high after securing $5.6 billion in a funding round led by parent company Alphabet.

The round established Waymo as a leader in the robotaxi sphere, with analysts valuing the company at $45 billion.