Waymo opens its driverless-taxi service to all in San Francisco

By Mike Murphy

San Francisco is the second U.S. city, after Phoenix, where just about anyone can hail a driverless Waymo vehicle

Waymo has opened its robotaxi service in San Francisco to the general public.

On Tuesday, the autonomous-vehicle company, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) (GOOG), said rides would be available to anyone with the Waymo app and a credit card, 24/7, across San Francisco. The service had previously only been available to those approved from a waiting list.

In a blog post, Waymo said nearly 300,000 people had signed up for the waiting list, and that it has been providing "tens of thousands" of trips each week for commutes, errands and nights out.

The distinctive, driverless vehicles have been on San Francisco's streets for years and are by now a common sight. But they're still a curiosity to tourists, who now should have an easier time hailing a ride.

San Francisco is the second U.S. city where just about anyone can get a driverless ride; Waymo debuted its service in the Phoenix area in 2020.

Waymo emphasized safety in its announcement, claiming an "unparalleled" track record in safe operations and citing data that its autonomous vehicles are involved in significantly fewer crashes than comparable human drivers.

Still, federal regulators are investigating a number of crashes involving Waymo vehicles, and there are regular reports in San Francisco of robotaxis appearing confused by unusual road conditions or driving potentially dangerously. One was also set on fire by vandals in February.

Earlier this year, California regulators authorized Waymo to expand its driverless operations to Los Angeles and San Mateo County, just south of San Francisco and home to many of its Silicon Valley suburbs.

-Mike Murphy

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06-26-24 1232ET

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