Waymo gets green light to expand robotaxi service to San Jose
The autonomous vehicle company Waymo can now operate in San Jose, becoming the first robotaxi firm to offer services in the city.
According to Mayor Matt Mahan's Office, the California Public Utilities Commission approved an amendment to Waymo's existing permit allowing them to drive in San Jose.
"It's about time autonomous vehicles rolled into San José," said Mahan in a press statement. "For decades, our region has shaped the future—and now, the ride to work is as forward-thinking as the breakthroughs happening at the office."
Waymo will be restricted to certain streets in San Jose. In March, the Alphabet subsidiary announced that the California Department of Motor Vehicles had approved the company's plan to expand areas of the South Bay where it can operate fully autonomously, including almost all of San Jose.
Earlier in March, Waymo rolled out self-driving service in Mountain View, where the company is headquartered, along with Los Altos, Palo Alto, and parts of Sunnyvale. The rides are currently available to a select group of customers with zip codes in the 27-square-mile service area.
The company also operates its robotaxi service in San Francisco, Daly City, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas, and is expanding to Atlanta, Miami, and Tokyo. San Francisco recently gave Waymo the go-ahead to map roadways around San Francisco International Airport ahead of possible robotaxi service to SFO.
Earlier this month, Waymo had to recall roughly 1,200 self-driving vehicles prone to hitting road barriers.
