Sixteen years ago, engineers working on the Google self-driving project conducted their first autonomous vehicle tests on the freeway connecting Silicon Valley to San Francisco. That company would eventually become Waymo, and its autonomous vehicle testing expanded to other cities. The company later launched commercial robotaxi services in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, with other cities following.
But freeways, despite that early testing, remained out of reach for its commercial services. Until today. Waymo announced it will begin offering robotaxi rides that use freeways across San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. This critical expansion for the company is expected to reduce ride times by up to fifty percent. This improvement could attract a new group of users who need to travel between the many towns and suburbs within the greater San Francisco Bay Area or shorten commutes across the sprawling Los Angeles and Phoenix metro areas.
Using freeways is also essential for Waymo to offer rides to and from the San Francisco Airport, a location the company is currently testing. The service will not be offered to all Waymo riders initially. Riders who want to experience freeway rides can note their preference in the Waymo app. Once a rider hails a ride, they may then be matched with a freeway trip.
The company’s robotaxi routes will now extend to San Jose, creating a unified two hundred and sixty mile service area across the Peninsula. Waymo also said it will begin curbside drop-off and pick-up service at San Jose Mineta International Airport. It already offers curbside service to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Freeway driving is one of those things that is very easy to learn, but very hard to master when we are talking about full autonomy without a human driver as a backup, and at scale, said Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov in a media briefing. He explained that it took time to do it properly, with a strong focus on system safety and reliability.
Waymo robotaxis have been spotted on freeways for many months. The company has provided freeway trips to its employees for more than a year. While many assume freeway driving is easier, it comes with its own set of challenges, according to principal software engineer Pierre Kreitmann. He noted that critical events happen less often on freeways, which means there are fewer opportunities to expose the self-driving system to rare scenarios and prove how it performs when it matters. The company chose to augment its public road driving with a combination of closed course and simulation testing.
This expanded testing and validation of the software was done to ensure the vehicles transition smoothly and safely between freeways and surface streets, and recognize and adapt to the unique context of the road around them. Waymo has also expanded its operational protocols, including how it coordinates with safety officials like the California Highway Patrol, now that its robotaxis are operating on freeways.