Source: Gasgoo Author: Xing Yun
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According to foreign media reports, Alphabet’s self-driving unit Waymo announced on January 19 that it has submitted an application to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in the United States, hoping to expand the scale of its driverless car service operations in Los Angeles.
If it gets the license, Waymo will be able to fully deploy its fleet in Los Angeles, California’s largest city. Prior to this, the company had begun testing its self-driving car service in Los Angeles, but only users who had received an invitation could use its service. Currently, Waymo has begun providing self-driving car commercial services in San Francisco. The CPUC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Image source: Waymo
Waymo said on social media X (formerly Twitter) that the company will work with Los Angeles policymakers, emergency departments and community organisations to launch the ride-hailing service. The company did not give details about when the service would go live.
Waymo also said this month that it would begin testing its fully autonomous driverless passenger cars on motorways in Phoenix, Arizona, and the company also plans to launch operations in Austin, Texas.
Last year, Waymo delayed plans to develop commercial self-driving truck technology shortly after self-driving cars came under intense regulatory scrutiny. Meanwhile, Cruise, the driverless car unit of General Motors, suspended all self-driving car operations in the U.S. after the company was involved in an accident last year that injured a pedestrian and halted operations of its vehicles.
