Waymo Launches Driverless Taxis In Phoenix

PHOENIX — Waymo launched a fleet of its driverless taxi services for use by the public in Phoenix on Thursday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Google-owned company had been quietly offering the service to a select group of people for the past year. Every ride for the next few weeks will be without a backup driver for potentially perilous situations, the company's CEO, John Krafcik, announced in a news release.

"We expect our new fully driverless service to be very popular, and we’re thankful to our riders for their patience as we ramp up availability to serve demand," he wrote. "Later this year, after we've finished adding in-vehicle barriers between the front row and the rear passenger cabin for in-vehicle hygiene and safety, we'll also be re-introducing rides with a trained vehicle operator, which will add capacity and allow us to serve a larger geographical area."

At present, the fleet will only serve a 50 square mile radius in Phoenix's East Valley for Waymo One members before expanding its reach. Waymo One is the self-driving ride hailing service, which can be accessed by downloading the Waymo app.

Waymo was providing 1,000 to 2,000 rides in autonomous vehicles per week prior to the pandemic, most of which came with a back-up driver. The company did not discuss how many cars will be available to the public in the Phoenix area but did say that the cost per ride would be the same whether or not a driver is present.

Hand sanitizer will be provided in each car and masks will be required for all customers. If Waymo detects a rider is not wearing a mask, the company's support team will call to remind the rider of the policy. The company did not say if they would cut the trip short for noncompliance.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.