Waymo’s robot taxi service in San Francisco is now open to everyone.
The self-driving car company Waymo, which is a part of Alphabet Inc. GOOGL, +2.68% GOOG, +2.65%, said on Tuesday that anyone in San Francisco with the Waymo app and a credit card could get rides at any time, day or night. Before, the service was only open to people who were approved from a waiting list.
In a blog post, Waymo said that almost 300,000 people had joined the waiting list and that it was giving out “tens of thousands” of trips every week for things like work, shopping, and going out at night.
These unique, self-driving cars have been on the streets of San Francisco for years and are now commonplace. Many tourists are still interested in them, though, and it should now be easier for them to call for a ride.
With Waymo’s launch in the Phoenix area in 2020, San Francisco is the second city in the U.S. where almost anyone can get a ride without a driver.
Waymo stressed safety in its announcement, saying that it has a “unparalleled” record of safe operations and showing that its self-driving cars are involved in a lot fewer accidents than similar cars driven by humans.
Still, the federal government is looking into a number of accidents involving Waymo vehicles, and in San Francisco, robotaxis are often seen driving in ways that aren’t safe or that look like they’re confused by the road conditions. In February, someone also set one on fire.
California regulators gave Waymo permission earlier this year to expand its driverless services to Los Angeles and San Mateo County, which is south of San Francisco.
