Waymo Will Test Robotaxis on Phoenix Highways

Facts

Autonomous vehicle operator Waymo on Monday announced it will start testing driverless rides on the freeways of Phoenix, Arizona.¹
Although an official start date hasn’t been announced, the tests will roll out gradually, with Waymo employees soon being able to hail rider-only trips on the freeways.¹
Waymo for more than a year has been testing its Jaguar I-PACE vehicles on freeways — including Loop 101 and Loop 202 — with a safety specialist sitting in the driver's seat.²
In addition, Waymo has been operating its autonomous ride-hailing service over 225 square miles (582 sq km) of surface streets in metro Phoenix. Without using freeways, rides take as much as twice as long.²
Waymo — which shares the same parent company, Alphabet, with Google — is advancing its autonomous taxi program at the same time a closer eye is being kept on autonomous vehicle companies. Waymo competitor Cruise recently had to remove its robotaxis from the road after an accident.³
In California, the Teamsters Union is working with city and local leaders to wrestle away regulatory authority from state officials — pushing a bill that will allow counties and municipalities to implement strict rules limiting or outright rejecting autonomous vehicles.⁴

Narrative A, as provided by Verge. Waymo is doing a responsible job of improving its technology and making sure rides are safe, with its self-driving vehicles paving the way by riding exclusively on highways. Some car manufacturers may be jealous that their tech forces them to limit the autonomous features their drivers can use, but Waymo is setting a standard that will benefit its company in the present and the rest of transportation in the near future.
Narrative B, as provided by NPR Online News. Waymo might be certain it’s doing everything it can in terms of safety, but it should use the experiences of Cruise in San Francisco as a cautionary tale. Waymo's competitor has been involved in near collisions and mistakes made by flustered tech, and police and fire departments have deemed the vehicles as a nuisance. Waymo's gradual rollout may need to be even more deliberate.