Waymo's fully driverless cars are hitting San Diego streets
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San Diego riders will be some of the first to get picked up by Waymo's new Ojai cars. Photo: Courtesy of Waymo
Waymo's driverless cars will soon be cruising around San Diego, the company announced Wednesday.
The big picture: Waymo has been testing its autonomous vehicles with drivers locally for over a year, but there won't be a human behind the wheel anymore.
- The rollout is part of Waymo's expansion across America that's facing some roadblocks from local governments.
Zoom in: Only Waymo employees will be able to get rides at first.
- "We will begin gradually ramping up our fully autonomous operations in the coming weeks," a Waymo spokesperson told Axios.
- You'll see driverless cars all around the city, including Pacific Beach, Normal Heights, Point Loma, and South Crest neighborhoods.
The intrigue: San Diego riders will be among the first to experience the new Ojai vehicles.
- They have more spacious and easier-to-clean interiors, faster charging and larger battery capacity than Waymo's other models.
Friction point: There's been some opposition from the MTS board, which has pushed for local governments to regulate autonomous vehicles and for Waymos to be banned at the San Diego airport.
- UC San Diego researchers found people are more concerned about robotaxis taking jobs from rideshare and delivery drivers than they are about safety.
By the numbers: Waymo cars were involved in 94% fewer crashes causing serious or fatal injury compared to human drivers in cities where they operate, per the company's most recent national safety analysis.
State of play: Robotaxis in California can now be issued citations for traffic violations and companies like Waymo must also provide an emergency response hotline for first responder use.
What's next: Waymo plans to open up driverless rides to everyone in San Diego later this year.
Go deeper: What it's like to ride in a Waymo robotaxi