Waymo is launching in five new cities in Texas and Florida. Autonomous vehicles in Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando will begin accepting rides next year.
The Alphabet-owned company said operations (without passengers) will begin in Miami on Tuesday. Other cities will follow “in the coming weeks.” This phase is where vehicles drive around the city without anyone following them. This gives the company a chance to recognize local quirks and adjust its driving algorithms accordingly.
Waymo said this local adjustment phase requires less change with each added city. “This data feeds into the flywheel of continuous improvement by rigorous validation through real-world driving and advanced simulations, then implemented through regular software releases,” it wrote. The company claims that its robotaxis are involved in 11 times less serious injury accidents than human drivers.
Waymo’s autonomous vehicles currently accept passengers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Austin. The list of “next” cities is long, including recently announced expansions into San Diego, Detroit, and Las Vegas.