In the latest development in their ambitious mission to bring fully self-driving vehicles to public roads, Waymo made history Tuesday with a first-of-its kind partnership with Lyft.
Starting today, Phoenix residents can use the Lyft app for the first time to hail Waymo’s fleet of autonomous vehicles — without a safety driver behind the wheel.
As of Tuesday morning, customers in Phoenix can use the Lyft app to request autonomous cars from Waymo as easily as they would with any other ride-hailing service.
“Our goal is to bring self-driving technology into the world safely,” said John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo. “To do that well, we need to grow slowly and carefully as we’re adding more vehicles and drivers. The great city of Phoenix has been our partner all along, and we thank the Mayor and City Council for their leadership in keeping us laser focused on safe deployment.”
For this pilot program, Waymo is starting with 600 minivans in the area. It will be adding hundreds of additional cars in the next few months that will serve a larger area than just Phoenix.
This unique partnership with Lyft will offer more people in Phoenix an easy, convenient way to get around their city without the need for a person at the wheel. Waymo’s fully self-driving technology will give riders the world-class experience they have come to expect from Lyft.
“Our mission is to improve lives with the world’s best transportation, and this partnership is a big step forward in helping us realize that goal,” said John Zimmer, president and co-founder of Lyft. “Lyft has a vision for the future of mobility, and that includes offering people a choice in how they get around town — whether on foot, bike or by self-driving car.”
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said the partnership with Waymo is part of his goal to make Phoenix “the world headquarters for testing and innovation around self-driving cars.”
“For too long, our highways have been havens for human error and deadly crashes, but as Waymo’s new pilot program marks today there is another option: hands-free, self-driving cars that will transform how people move throughout our city,” Stanton said. “Lyft and Waymo are working to change the world and we’re proud to help them do it.”
With Waymo’s self-driving technology, Lyft riders will simply request a car, and the system will find a nearby Waymo autonomous vehicle for them. The ride will be free for the first ride, but after that rate of $1/mile will apply with both companies taking 30% each. Phoenix residents can request a Waymo car now using the Lyft app or learn more at waymofly.com/phx .
To get started in Phoenix, riders just need to download the Lyft app or visit lyft.com/waymofly . To apply to be a Waymo driver, people need to go to waymo.com/apply .
By bringing more fully self-driving vehicles into public roads, this pilot is another significant milestone for Waymo on the path toward fully self-driving cars becoming a reality in cities across America.
Google began working on self-driving technology as early as 2009. The company started testing its vehicles on public roads in 2012 with safety drivers behind the wheel and has logged nearly three million autonomous miles on the road today.
The company’s LiDAR technology, now deployed on top of most fully self-driving vehicles, is the key to improving safety for everyone. The LiDAR system uses light and sound waves to measure objects in real time, allowing Waymo cars to perceive the world around them with unparalleled precision — which means fewer accidents.
Today’s program will serve as a stepping stone toward Waymo’s next phase of growth, which will bring fully self-driving cars and livery service to more cities across the U.S.
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