Last week, Waymo announced it will put 10 of its vehicles on Lyft’s network in Phoenix. Any Lyft user will be able to ride.
This is super-duper exciting! Waymo is several years ahead of everybody else developing self-driving cars, but until now their vehicles have been off-limits to the general public. I see them scooting around Mountain View all the time, but the only way I can get a ride in one is to pull a favor from a friend who works there.
Now Waymos will be open, albeit in very small initial numbers, to anybody in Phoenix, via Lyft’s network.
This announcement also makes Phoenix the second place in the world, alongside Lyft’s partnership with Aptiv in Las Vegas, where a member of the general public can hail a self-driving robotaxi. They still come with safety drivers, but it’s nonetheless a big step forward.
David Silver 