Waymo will soon begin testing fully autonomous rides in Las Vegas without a safety driver in place.
Waymo’s initial driver-free rides will only be available to the company’s employees, company officials said, while the vehicles also will travel on area roads with no one inside. No official launch date has been announced.
The empty vehicle testing will be similar to Amazon-owned Zoox’s robotaxi testing in Southern Nevada, ahead of the company offering free rides last year. Zoox is awaiting an exemption from the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration to allow them to offer paid rides, since the robotaxis don’t feature standard motor vehicle features such as steering wheels or gas and brake pedals.
