Waymo applies to bring self-driving cars to Los Angeles

Waymo, Alphabet’s autonomous driving unit, said on Friday it has applied to the California Public Utilities Commission to expand its driverless service in Los Angeles.

A licence would allow Waymo, which operates extensively in San Francisco, to fully operate its fleet in Los Angeles, California’s largest city, where it is now testing rides, allowing new rides only by invitation.

The utilities commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company posted on social media platform X that it will work with Los Angeles policymakers, first responders and community organisations to launch its ride-hailing service. It did not provide details on when its service will go live.

Waymo said this month it would begin testing its fully autonomous passenger cars without a human driver on freeways in Phoenix, Arizona, where it now offers rides in the metropolitan area. The company also aims to operate in Austin, Texas.

The company last year pushed back its efforts to develop a commercial autonomous trucking technology soon after autonomous driving software came under strong regulatory scrutiny.

General Motors’ Cruise driverless car unit paused all supervised and manual car trips in the US last year after an accident led to the suspension of driverless vehicle operations.

Reuters