Waymo to begin manual drives in Minneapolis, Tampa and New Orleans

Waymo, the autonomous driving unit of Alphabet, has announced plans to initiate manual driving tests of its robotaxi fleet in three new cities: Minneapolis, Tampa, and New Orleans. This endeavor marks a crucial step towards the company's goal of launching a fully driverless service in these locations as early as next year. If successful, this expansion will contribute to Waymo's ambitious roadmap, which aims to bring its robotaxi services to 15 cities by 2026. Recently, the company also revealed intentions to operate its vehicles without human drivers in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Miami, and Orlando in the coming weeks, with public service expected to commence next year. Waymo has already laid out plans for expansions into several other markets including Detroit, Denver, Las Vegas, Nashville, San Diego, Washington, D.C., and even London by 2026. However, a spokesperson emphasized that the company will prioritize safety and wait for technology validation in Minneapolis, Tampa, and New Orleans before finalizing their launch plans for these cities. Currently, Waymo's robotaxi service is active in Austin, the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, completing over 250,000 paid rides each week. Since its inception in 2020, the service has provided more than 10 million paid rides. Recently, it also began offering freeway routes in the San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles areas, a significant development for the robotaxi market, as operating at high speeds presents unique challenges. Next year, Waymo aims to conquer another challenge: operating in regions that experience severe winter weather. The addition of Minneapolis to their testing locations indicates Waymo's readiness to adapt its technology for snow and freezing conditions. "We currently operate at freezing temperatures and are working to validate our systems for harsher weather conditions," noted spokesperson Ethan Teicher. He added that the company plans to start with small fleets and gradually expand as they gain confidence in their technology. In related news, Amazon-owned Zoox has begun allowing select users in San Francisco to book rides in its driverless vehicles, following its recent launch in Las Vegas. The company intends to eliminate its rider waitlist for San Francisco by 2026.