Waymo driverless cars spotted in Uptown Charlotte
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Let go of the wheel. GIF: Thomas Wheatley/Axios
About a dozen Waymo vehicles recently arrived at a gravel lot in Uptown between Monday and Tuesday, eagle-eyed Charlotteans noted on Reddit.
Why it matters: Waymo's presence signals Charlotte could be next in line for driverless ride-hailing service, which already operates in cities like Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco.
Driving the news: According to The Ledger, a Waymo employee told a resident the cars must drive every Charlotte street three times (with humans behind the wheel) before going fully driverless.
- The white Jaguar SUVs say "Waymo" on the side and include QR codes that read: "Download the app and ride today."
Between the lines: The company hasn't yet announced a Charlotte launch.
- However, its street-mapping and early fleet staging typically precede broader service rollouts.
How it works: In cities like Atlanta, Waymo partners with Uber, and riders request a ride-share like they normally would. If a Waymo is nearby, it may be dispatched (riders can confirm or opt out before the vehicle heads their way).
- In cities like Houston, where Waymo announced expansion this week, select riders who've downloaded the Waymo app will receive invitations to join, with service expected to open to everyone later this year.
Go deeper: What it's like to ride in an Atlanta Waymo driverless car
The intrigue: Waymo says its autonomous cars are involved in 11 times fewer crashes that cause serious injury or worse compared to human drivers.
Yes, but: An earlier Axios review of federal data found Waymo autonomous vehicles were involved in at least 23 collisions in Austin over four months last year. The records did not indicate fault.
Zoom out: Waymo, based in Silicon Valley, operates in 10 cities.
- In San Antonio, the company recently moved from testing to live service.
- The initial fleet includes "dozens" of Jaguar I-PACE SUVs, with plans to grow to "hundreds" over time, Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli told Axios.