Waymo to operate fully driverless vehicles without safety drivers

Waymo has announced, via e-mail, that it will be deploying “completely driverless” Waymo cars on certain routes in the United States. The e-mail isn’t too long, it just confirms that the company will begin using cars without a trained driver at the wheel. To make passengers feel more comfortable, Waymo provided a list of information about what users can expect if they get paired with a completely driverless car in future.

When you get matched with a fully driverless car, you’ll be notified by the app which will confirm that there’s no driver onboard. Inside the app, you’ll see a “What to expect“ button which will let you learn more about driverless trips. When you get in the car, there will be a help button in case you need to contact a support agent throughout the trip that can also be contacted through the app.

In the e-mail, Waymo said:

“Over the years and with your support, we’ve been testing and refining our fully self-driving technology – including cars without a trained driver up front. We’re excited to share that soon you may experience one of these driverless rides! … Rest assured, Waymo will still be taking care of you; this is just the next step as we travel down the road toward a fully self-driving future.”

Waymo didn’t reveal how many fully driverless vehicles will operate in the near future or where they’ll operate. With that said, the existing self-driving Chrysler Pacifica minivans, used by the early rider program and Waymo One service, operate in a geofenced area in the suburbs of Phoenix so they’ll likely carry on operating here.

Source: Reddit via TechCrunch

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