Today, Aug. 30, Waymo will launch the next phase in expanding the Waymo One autonomous ride hail service by starting to offer members of the Trusted Tester program in downtown Phoenix trips in rider only mode for the first time.
With this deployment Waymo is now offering trips in the following areas in the following operating modes in the Valley:
- Downtown Phoenix: Now offering paid rider-only trips to Waymo employees and Trusted Testers.
- Sky Harbor Airport: Currently offering trips from downtown Phoenix to the airport for Waymo employees, with an autonomous specialist in the driver’s seat.
- East Valley: Currently offering rider-only trips to members of the public.
This news means Waymo is the only company to offer members of the public trips in rider only mode in multiple different cities, including in the East Valley, according to a Waymo spokesperson in Phoenix.
The Waymo One Trusted Tester program is a research-focused initiative that allows some members of the public in downtown Phoenix to help shape the future of autonomous ride-hailing as early customers. It’s a highly interactive program where Trusted Testers use the Waymo One app to hail autonomous rides for their everyday mobility needs and provide customer feedback during and after their rides, according to the spokesperson.
Rides are available in Waymo’s latest, fully electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles equipped with the fifth-generation Waymo Driver. Trusted Testers can use the Waymo One app to hail rides wherever they want to go in its initial downtown service area, and trips will be of charge, they said.
Local residents can download the Waymo One app before they create an account and express interest in joining Waymo’s Trusted Tester program.
