Google set to beat Uber with driverless taxi launch

Waymo, formally known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, is set to launch the autonomous cab service in the US early next month.

These driverless taxis will only initially be available to “dozens or hundreds of authorised riders in the suburbs around Phoenix, covering about 100 square miles”.

“What’s Waymo?” Good question. Let me get this out of the way early because it’s potentially confusing.

Bear with me here. In 2015, Google went through a corporate restructure to become Alphabet. A brand new multinational conglomerate of which the search engine giant, Google, became a direct subsidiary.

Well… Waymo is another subsidiary of Alphabet. It’s the conglomerate’s self-driving taxi company.

And this week’s news is a massive win for Alphabet/Google. Waymo, formally known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, is set to launch the autonomous cab service in the US early next month. It’s been working on the technology for nearly a decade. During that time the company has clocked up over 10 million test miles – with over 5 million of these miles recorded in 2018 alone.Waymo has yet to confirm the vehicle it will use to debut the new service, but it is expected to continue with its fleet of modified Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans.The autonomous taxi fares are also unconfirmed. However, during the test stages of the service, prices were deliberately set to be competitive with Uber/Lyft and cheaper than a standard taxi.Which is bizarre. The competitive edge driverless cars have on chauffeur-driven cars is that they don’t have to pay the driver a salary. Which raises the question why anyone would risk breaking the status quo to ride in a driverless car? I fully expect Waymo to undercut […]

Continue reading – Google set to beat Uber with driverless taxi launch