Waymo Is Launching Self-Driving Vehicles in Washington, DC

Waymo robotaxis are coming to Washington, D.C. Alphabet’s self-driving startup is launching its Waymo One ride service in the nation’s capital next year.

Waymo has not announced the size of the service area or what specific D.C. neighborhoods will have driverless vehicles. In addition to Washington, D.C., robotaxis are planned for Atlanta and Miami in the near future.

“We’re excited to bring the comfort, consistency, and safety of Waymo One to Washingtonians, those who work and play in the city every day, and the millions of people from around the world who travel to the District every year,” said the company’s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, per Quartz.

Before Waymo One goes live in D.C., government regulators will need to loosen restrictions on robotaxis. As it stands now, autonomous vehicles (AVs) in the city require a human driver behind the steering wheel to intervene should something go awry.

Currently, over 200,000 riders use Waymo One every week. So far, the company is approved to operate in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Austin, Texas.

The Safety and Regulation of Self-Driving Vehicles Like Waymo

As ride-hailing companies quickly ramp up self-driving vehicle services in major U.S. cities, industry groups are calling for standardized guidelines. Last week, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation urged the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Sean Duffy, to consider the agency’s role in autonomous vehicle regulation.

The organization, which represents major automakers, wants the federal government to remove the requirement for human drivers in commercial vehicles. In addition, the group is asking for other mandates to be dropped, including a condition that an AV passenger must have a driver’s license to ride.

A study released by Waymo and insurer Swiss Re suggests AVs are safer than cars driven by humans. The companies compared liability claims of human drivers involved in accidents versus claims related to driverless vehicles. Property damage claims related to Waymo vehicle collisions dropped 88% compared to human drivers. Bodily injury claims fell by 92%.

Nonetheless, driverless vehicle technology is still not quite ready, which indicates that government intervention is likely a necessity. Late last year, now-defunct AV company Cruise was fined by the Department of Justice for submitting false information to the NHTSA after a driverless vehicle hit and severely injured a pedestrian in San Francisco.