Waymo begins limited testing of its robot taxi service in San Francisco

Alphabet’s autonomous driving unit Waymo said on Wednesday it had started testing in San Francisco. Runner testing will be limited to employee volunteers at the start. It is also the first expansion of robo-taxi service beyond the Phoenix, Arizona area.

According to Waymo, its self-driving Chrysler Pacificas and Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs have now traveled more than 20 billion kilometers using computer simulations. They have also driven 20 million kilometers on public roads in 25 cities since the start of the program.

The initial phase of Waymo’s testing will include a limited number of cars and drivers. This, however, will be intensified over time. Currently, trips will be offered with a single vehicle operator.

The initial program starts this week and will last several, but we plan to expand it over time. We do not have a precise timetable to share on when (or where) a public service is offered. It’s worth keeping in mind that this is for early product testing and continuous improvement, and there are many more steps we will need to take … before we can deploy a service to the public , a Waymo spokesperson told VentureBeat.

Waymo also noted that testing in San Francisco would mean solving topographical issues such as hills, major freeways, bike paths, and even sandy ocean freeways. He added that the company has also made several improvements to its technology to meet the needs of dense areas such as San Francisco.

For example, the Waymo Driver’s optimized 360-degree vision system and lidar can now navigate better in denser areas. On-board cameras can now spot changing traffic lights at a longer distance. Sensors can also spot a jaywalker and act on it.

For more crowded places, Waymo has improved the software to help better understand the nuances. For example, he can distinguish between a pedestrian, a tree and a pedestrian carrying a Christmas tree.

If we pull up next to a bus near a crosswalk on Beach Street in Fisherman s Wharf, our driver may think that hidden passengers may get off and they will be crossing the street soon, Waymo explained.