Waymo is making a big move in San Francisco by expanding its self-driving robotaxi service to include freeway rides. This is a major step toward broader adoption of autonomous vehicles, even though the program has its share of skeptics.
In a recent post, Waymo announced that after successfully testing their self-driving cars on Phoenix freeways, they are now allowing their employees in San Francisco to take fully autonomous rides on local freeways. This new feature is expected to cut travel times significantly. For instance, a trip from Lake Merced to Oracle Park that usually takes 40 minutes without using freeways could be slashed in half when using the highway.
For now, only a few self-driving cars will be navigating the San Francisco freeways, and they’ll be doing so cautiously—sticking to off-peak hours when traffic is lighter. This is part of Waymo’s gradual expansion, which has already reached 55 square miles in Northern California. However, this coverage is still much smaller compared to their operations in Arizona, where they recently expanded to cover 315 square miles in the Metro Phoenix area.
At this stage, the freeway service in San Francisco is only available to Waymo employees. But if you’re interested in trying out their robotaxis on surface streets in either San Francisco or Phoenix, you don’t need to be an employee. Just download the Waymo One app, sign up, and you’re good to go.
Waymo is also operating in Los Angeles and Austin, though these locations are currently in the waitlist phase.
