Waymo offers teen accounts for driverless rides

Waymo has unveiled a new initiative to provide driverless ride services to teenagers aged 14 to 17, starting in Phoenix. This announcement was made on Tuesday, as the Alphabet-owned company aims to broaden its user base. Parents residing in Phoenix can now invite their teens to join the program through their existing Waymo accounts. Once enrolled, teenagers will be able to request fully autonomous rides, a significant shift from the previous requirement that users be at least 18 years old. This change is part of Waymo's strategy to boost ridership as it expands its ride-hailing services across various U.S. cities. Amidst growing competition in the AI sector, Alphabet is also looking to monetize its AI-driven products more effectively. To ensure safety and support, Waymo will provide specially trained Rider Support agents for rides requested by teens. Parents will be kept in the loop, with the ability to receive real-time updates on their child's trip status and access to ride receipts. Currently, this teen account option is exclusive to the metro Phoenix area, but plans are in place to roll it out to additional regions where the Waymo app is available. This move follows a similar initiative by Uber, which introduced teen accounts in 2023. Waymo, which has established partnerships with Uber in several markets, has indicated that it may consider expanding teen access through its network partners in the future. In addition to these changes, Waymo is already facilitating over 250,000 paid rides weekly in locations including Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas. Looking ahead, the company is gearing up to launch autonomous services in Miami and Washington, D.C., by 2026. Earlier this year, Waymo also applied for a permit to operate vehicles in New York City, marking its ambitions to enter one of the largest urban markets in the U.S.