Waymo and Lyft Begin Limited Self-Driving Ride Trials in Phoenix
Waymo launches a small-scale integration with Lyft, offering a select few riders in Phoenix the choice between a traditional ride or a self-driving van. The trial uses fewer than ten vehicles with safety drivers on board.
Waymo kicks off its partnership with Lyft by deploying a small fleet of self-driving vans for riders in Phoenix. The program currently operates with fewer than ten vehicles, though Waymo plans to expand this trial to exactly ten cars in the near future.
To qualify for this autonomous option, Lyft users must request a trip that both starts and ends within Waymo's designated Phoenix testing zone. When matched with one of these vehicles, riders see a prompt that allows them to choose between a traditional Lyft ride or the autonomous Waymo van.
Each Waymo vehicle in this trial includes a human safety driver behind the wheel. This limited integration runs alongside Waymo's existing Waymo One ride-hailing service, giving the company a second avenue to gather data and test public acceptance of its autonomous technology.