Waymo, the self-driving company under Alphabet, has expanded its testing and deployment efforts to Atlanta, adding to its growing list of cities where it is testing its autonomous vehicles. The company plans to deploy a few cars driven manually by humans initially to gather mapping data and become familiar with Atlanta’s environment. Later, Waymo aims to conduct tests in Atlanta using fully autonomous vehicles without safety drivers in the front seat.
Waymo Atlanta Advert
Waymo Atlanta
Georgia has minimal regulations regarding autonomous vehicles, allowing Waymo to potentially operate fully autonomous vehicles without safety drivers, as long as it meets the state’s minimal risk conditions. Waymo has not confirmed whether it plans to launch its commercial service in Atlanta or any other cities where it is collecting mapping data. The company recently began mapping Washington, D.C., and started winter testing robotaxis in Buffalo in November 2023.
Waymo’s focus is on scaling its fully autonomous Waymo One ride-hailing service in the cities where it operates, while also advancing its autonomous technology through road trips to various cities across the U.S. Atlanta is the latest addition to Waymo’s expansion, following the recent launch of paid robotaxi rides in Los Angeles. In March, California regulators approved Waymo to expand its commercial robotaxi service across the San Francisco peninsula and on San Francisco freeways, including a route to San Francisco International Airport. Waymo has been offering rides to and from Phoenix’s airport since November 2022, and recently expanded its service to include curbside drop-off and pickup.