California has just authorized Waymo to expand its driverless ride-hailing service across both Northern and Southern parts of the state.
On Friday, the company shared that it will be introducing robotaxis in Sacramento and San Diego and will also broaden its reach in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
Earlier in the previous year, the California Department of Transportation had given Waymo the go-ahead to operate in much of Southern California, extending from the Bay Area all the way down to the Mexican border.
The approval for these new areas came from the California Public Utilities Commission on Friday.
“This marks a significant achievement for us, as it allows Waymo to extend the safety and mobility advantages already benefiting many Californians to additional communities statewide,” the company mentioned in its press release.
The expansion will take place in phases, guided by a security framework, according to the company.
“We are eager to bring the mobility and safety advantages that millions of Californians already experience to even more regions and will keep local officials and community members informed throughout the process,” Waymo added.
CBS News reported that Waymo aims to launch its service in San Diego by late summer, and it will continue testing its technology in Sacramento, though specific dates for its arrival remain unclear.
Waymo has stated that over 220 million miles traveled autonomously have led to a significant reduction of about 94% in serious injury accidents.
Currently, their self-driving service is operational in cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix.
I mean, there’s speculation about possibly expanding to Dallas, Miami, and Washington D.C., which could be pretty interesting.
Right now, Waymo is primarily limited to the San Francisco Peninsula, San Jose, and Los Angeles.
According to the company, its vehicles have seen a 94% decrease in serious injury crashes across those 220 million autonomous miles driven.
