×

Get David Pierce’s daily analysis of the tech news that matters.

I’ve already subscribed

Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy

×

Receive a weekly briefing from Shakeel Hashim on the financial movements that matter to tech.

I’ve already subscribed

Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy

×

Understand what’s coming next in the rapidly changing cloud industry with Tom Krazit.

I’ve already subscribed

Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy

×

Get Biz Carson's guide to what founders and investors are talking about in Silicon Valley and beyond.

I’ve already subscribed

Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy

×

Explore the technological possibility, power struggles and conflict of the future of entertainment with Janko Roettgers.

I’ve already subscribed

Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy

×

Navigate the business of video games — a $150 billion behemoth that can't be ignored — with Seth Schiesel and Shakeel Hashim.

I’ve already subscribed

Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy

Your five minute guide to what's happening in tech

×
Bulletins

Waymo is opening up its robo-taxis to anyone (in Phoenix)

Mike Murphy
October 8, 2020

There are about to be a lot more Waymo driverless rides taking place in Phoenix.

Waymo has been testing its autonomous-vehicle technology in and around Arizona's capital since 2017, slowly expanding the capabilities of the driverless cars over time. Today, Oct. 8, the Alphabet company announced that anyone will be able to able to hail one of its vehicles in the areas Waymo currently serves. The plan right now, given the pandemic, is to actually start with fully driverless vehicles, and then as Waymo is able to retrofit its vehicles with safety dividers between the front and rear seats, it'll bring human drivers back into the mix. This will allow the vehicles to cover a larger swath of Phoenix, where the cars might not be as confident to drive 100% on their own.

Get Protocol straight into your inbox

No word on when services like this will be coming to other municipalities, or whether you're going to have to be stuck in the least-cool, most-futuristic car on the road, Waymo's modified minivans.


Waymo

Mike Murphy

Mike Murphy ( @mcwm) is the transformation editor at Protocol, focusing on the industries being rapidly upended by technology and the companies disrupting incumbents. Previously, Mike was the technology editor at Quartz, where he frequently wrote on robotics, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics.

Latest Stories