Waymo starts taking fares for SF robotaxis after state approval

Waymo obtained ultimate approval to function its driverless taxis in California final week and can begin charging for its driverless robotaxi service in San Francisco beginning Monday, August 21.

Last week, the California Public Utilities Commission issued its ultimate approval permitting Google’s Waymo and GM’s Cruise driverless taxi companies to function 24/7 within the state.

Both corporations at the moment function public rideshare companies solely in San Francisco, although Waymo is testing driverless rides with staff in LA, and Cruise will begin doing so quickly.

Last yr, Cruise began charging for rides in San Francisco, however till now, Waymo has not. Waymo does cost for rides in Phoenix (and has since 2020), the place it first started its public operations, however its SF rides have been unencumber till this announcement.

Today, Waymo emailed its present Waymo One customers, letting them learn about subsequent week’s fare implementation. (Thanks to our reader Scott for tipping us off on this.) In Waymo’s announcement, it specified just a few factors about its fare system:

• We’re clear with our pricing — you’ll all the time know your journey price earlier than you ebook
• We base the value of your journey on probably the most direct route. Even if the automobile reroutes, or adapts a route in an surprising approach, the associated fee won’t change
• During busier instances, like nights and weekends, costs could also be greater to assist handle demand for rides
• Our wheelchair-accessible car (WAV) service will stay free for now

Waymo has not but listed its fare construction. Just a little extra data is out there on Waymo’s Help Center, however for precise fares, you’ll must test the app. Until now, the app has proven an estimated worth for every trip, however the worth was struck by means of and changed with “$0.” So we think about pricing will keep just like what the app has proven till now.

For comparability, Cruise costs a base fare of $5, with a further 90 cents per mile and 40 cents per minute. But one huge distinction between the methods is that Cruise doesn’t use surge pricing, whereas Waymo says that it’ll. As a outcome, Waymo’s “standard fares” will doubtless change, primarily based on what time you’re ordering the service.

In comparability to different ride-hailing apps, we checked a pattern trip on Uber, Lyft, and Waymo, and all three supplied comparable costs within the $11-14 vary – although with Waymo, you don’t must tip a driver, so there’s that. For reference, the pattern fare was alongside a bus route with a fare of $2.50 and a free return journey inside 2 hours.

Waymo says its busier instances are typically weekday nights and all day on weekends, with exceptionally busy instances on Friday and Saturday nights:

The system could also be about to get busier, too, as Waymo rolls out to extra customers. While Waymo is at the moment open to the general public, there’s nonetheless a waitlist to get in as an authorized person, which you’ll be able to enroll for by means of the Waymo One app.

The app at the moment has 100,000 customers on its waitlist and serves 10,000 rides per week between San Francisco and Phoenix. Those waitlist customers shall be invited “incrementally” because the service is expanded.