Waymo expands autonomous ride-hailing service to Talking Stick Resort, Desert Ridge
Waymo is expanding its autonomous ride-hailing service by 90 square miles in the Phoenix metro area, boosting connections to popular entertainment destinations and tribal land.
The company, a subsidiary of Google owner Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL), on Wednesday launched its Waymo One service expansion, which stretches further north in the Valley to include Desert Ridge, Scottsdale Quarter and TPC Scottsdale.
What’s more, Waymo’s vehicles are now operating on tribal land in partnership with the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community, opening up ride-hailing service to Talking Stick Resort, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick and Topgolf, according to a company blog post.
“This collaboration marks a significant step forward in our commitment to innovation and sustainable solutions,” Martin Harvier, president of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, said in a statement. “Waymo’s proven track record in developing and deploying autonomous technologies gives us confidence that this initiative will revolutionize the way people travel within our city, enhancing accessibility, safety, and efficiency for residents and visitors alike.”
Waymo’s expansion in the Valley coincides with the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration’s investigation into 22 incidents in which the company’s autonomous vehicles violated traffic laws or were involved in accidents. In a May 23 letter, the federal agency raised concerns about performance of the company’s self-driving vehicles. Several incidents have occurred in the Phoenix area, including one which described a Waymo vehicle crashing into a pole. The NHTSA asked Waymo to answer a series of questions and provide video of the incidents by June 11.
Waymo’s newly-announced service expansion also encompasses additional areas of downtown Mesa for connections to the Mesa Arts Center and Pioneer Park.
With the expansion, Waymo’s ride-hailing service — which features Jaguar I-Pace electric cars — covers 315 square miles in the Valley, marking what it describes as the largest area for autonomous ride-hailing service in the nation.
The company launched its Waymo One service in the Valley in 2018.
Waymo One is currently providing more than 50,000 trips a week to riders in the Valley, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, according to the company.
In April, Waymo announced a partnership with Uber to provide food delivery via its driverless cars to Uber Eats customers.